An American Quidditch Player in London
by Yuushi-chan
Summary: Oliver Wood has been working toward his goal of becoming the starting keeper for Puddlemere United for three years, but when he meets a young American Quidditch player, everything changes. OW x OC
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone! This is my second fan-fic. I hope you like it. Please review, I always love to get feedback, good and bad. If you spot any mistakes, please tell me. Thanks!

Yuushi-chan.

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or anything associated with Harry Potter (i.e. characters, spells, animals, etc.).

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Chapter 1

Oliver Wood walked onto the pitch. He took in a deep breath while smiling. He was beginning his fourth year with Puddlemere United's reserve team. He was excited as always when quidditch season began again. He had been notified that morning that he would be playing in their next match due to the starting keeper having caught a bad case of Vanishing Sickness.

_Too bad for him, but now I get to play. I'm going to get some extra practice in before the rest of the team arrives in an hour or so. I need to be in good condition for the game tomorrow._

Oliver went to the locker room to put on his training robes and get the crate with the quaffle, bludgers, and snitch in it. He pulled the quaffle out of its place and held the tip of his wand to the ball, enchanting it to fly on its own.

He mounted his broom and kicked off hard heading toward the goal posts. He hovered in front of the middle hoop waiting for the quaffle to head down the pitch. He dove for it as it flew violently toward the goal to his left. After catching it he threw it back toward the middle of the pitch imagining that one of his teammates would catch it. Oliver practiced this drill for the next forty-five minutes before coming down to get some water.

This summer had been brutal. The heat was sweltering as it was, but when playing quidditch the sun became twice as fierce. Oliver had already gone through one and a half water bottles and real practice hadn't even started yet.

"Man, I should have brought a few more with me. Today's going to be harsh if it stays this hot for the rest of the afternoon." Oliver said to himself.

He was just about to return to his drills when he heard someone approaching him from behind. He turned around to greet the person and found that it was one of his fellow teammates, Michelle Burbank, the star chaser. Her shoulder length blonde hair was pulled high on the top of her head when it reflected the sun giving her face a light glow.

"Hey, Oliver! I didn't think anyone else would be here yet." She said. "I heard you're starting keeper for then next game. Nice break."

"Yeah, thanks. It's not often that I get to play as a starter. I'm pretty excited for this match, too." Oliver said with a smile. "I hope you brought enough water, today's a scorcher."

She nodded while she pulled her training robes out of her bag. "I'll be right back. I'm going to change. Michael should be here soon." She yelled over her should just before she entered the locker room.

And she was right; Michael arrived only a minute later. He was a tall man, toned, and one of the damn near best beaters in the league. He was a black man with a deep booming voice, but one of the nicest men Oliver had ever met. Oliver had been greeted by Michael on his first day of practice with Puddlemere United. The man was intimidating; a great factor when he held a beater's bat in his hand.

"All right, Michael?" Oliver greeted.

"Afternoon, Oliver. I heard you were placed as starting keeper for this game. Good for you. It should be an exciting game, and a home game no less." Michael said.

"I'm pretty excited for this match. Playing the Falmouth Falcons." Oliver grinned.

"Yeah, and _foul _mouthed they are." Michael said laughing a booming laugh at his joke.

"Oh, Michael, you and your jokes." Michelle said as she walked toward them in her training robes. "And really, they aren't that great."

"You may not find them funny, but my wife sure does. I need something to cheer her up." Michael said a worrisome look creeping into his eyes.

"Why, is she all right?" Oliver asked worried for his teammate.

"Oh, yeah, she's great. She's pregnant again. We're excited, but she's had some bad morning sickness this time round." He explained.

"Oh, well congratulations!" Michelle exclaimed. "This is your third now, right?"

"Yes, that's right. I'm hoping for a boy this time. I'm not sure if I could handle a third daughter." He laughed again.

"Congrats, mate!" Oliver said patting Michael on the back.

They heard a 'pop' the telltale sign of someone apparating. All three of them turned toward the place where the sound came from. They saw another teammate heading their way.

"Afternoon, Scott!" Michael greeted him.

"Great afternoon for practice, don't you think?" He asked giving a short laugh. "You ready to bash in some heads of those Falcons?"

"You bet! This is going to be an exciting match." Michael said excitedly giving a high five to Scott.

Scott was the other starting beater. He was a shorter man, stocky, with an aggressive personality. He had been penalized no less than twelve times last season for his constant unnecessary violence during matches. He looked the part of a beater as well, having a scruffy look, some stubble around his chin and mouth, messy, shaggy dark brown hair that hung in his eyes, and mischievous hazel eyes.

"Oliver, I heard the good news. Congrats mate! It's about time you get a break." Scott said forcefully patting Oliver hard on the back.

"Thanks, mate, but it's only this game. It's not much of a break." Oliver laughed nervously.

"Ah, yeah, but you'll be on the starting team in no time." Scott tried to be reassuring.

"You said that last year, too, and I'm still on the reserve team." Oliver said a little annoyed.

"Well, it's bound to happen sometime." Scott laughed a breathy laugh before walking toward the locker room to change.

During Scott's absence, the rest of the starting team had arrived. The other chasers, Chelsea, a short girl with long strawberry blonde hair and a very toned body, and Chuck, a tall thin man with golden blonde hair and a skinny body, walked up to Michelle immediately striking up a conversation about their most recent town outing. Puddlemere's seeker, Karen, a short thin girl with short, spiky black hair was speaking to their coach about the preliminary quidditch match she had gone too over the weekend.

Everyone was changed into their training robes and standing around their coach who was currently trying to get everyone excited about today's practice in the sweltering heat.

"We have a tough game tomorrow, so we need to work as hard as we can today. I want you to play past your fatigue. When the heat starts to get to you, just raise your hand and you can switch out to get some water. I don't want anyone collapsing during this practice, so stay hydrated. You got that, Wood?" Their coach had just pointedly looked at Oliver.

"Yes, sir." Oliver answered.

"Good, now everyone drink some water and be on the pitch in two minutes." Coach Runckle gestured to the field before turning around and walking toward the stands.

Oliver finished his second bottle of water for the day. He was just about to head to the pitch when the coach caught his attention.

"Now, Oliver, I wanted to speak with you. The Falcons are an unruly team and they tend to go for the keeper as a target. You're going to need to be on your guard tomorrow for fast flying bludgers. So, please take it easy today at practice. You need to be on your game tomorrow." Coach Runckle told him.

"Sure, I'll take it easy today. I'm excited for the match tomorrow." Oliver said with a grin.

"Good to hear it. Now get on the pitch."

The sun was unbelievably hot. Nearly every five minutes one of the players was signaling that they needed water. Oliver was sweating so bad that sweat was nearly dripping off of his robes. Half way through practice, their team captain, Michelle, bewitched one of the bludgers to aim hard and fast at Oliver. Michael and Scott found it difficult to control the bludger, and as a result of that, Oliver had suffered a few hard hits to the abdomen. By the end of practice Oliver was sore, tired, and dehydrated. When he was in the locker room changing with the rest of his team, Michelle came to sit next to him.

"Hey, are you doing okay? You're looking a bit pale." She asked concerned for her teammate.

"Yeah, just a bit sore, and I ran out of water about an hour ago." Oliver explained giving a small cough.

"Here." Michelle said passing him a full water bottle.

"Thanks." Oliver said taking the water and draining it.

"You better rest up, mate. Tomorrow's gonna be a rough day, and Michael and I can't guarantee full protection from the Falcons' beaters." Scott said patting Oliver on the back before walking out the door.

Oliver left not long after Scott, saying goodbye to the rest of the team. He walked halfway down the entranceway before apparating to an alleyway a block away from his flat. Walking up the stairs to the second floor Oliver's left leg gave out and he tripped on the top step, falling forward onto the landing.

"Ow!" Oliver moaned laying there trying to steady his heart rate.

He forced himself up and unlocked the door to his apartment. He dropped his bag before closing the door and heading to his shower. The heat from the water made him dizzy so he lay down on his bed. The heat mixed with his fatigue made him pass out within seconds.

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**Author's Note:** Thank you everyone for reading. I promise the next chapter will have more excitement. I'm just setting up characters right now, but the story will develop quickly after the next chapter or so.

Please review!!

Yuushi-chan


	2. Chapter 2: The Falmouth Falcons

Chapter 2: The Falmouth Falcons

Oliver was sitting in the locker room breathing deeply and taking small sips of water. He was nervous about the match now. Seeing how exhausted he was after practice with a bewitched bludger, he was nervous about dodging the regular bludgers that were going to be coming at him.

"Relax, mate." Scott said sitting next to Oliver on the bench. "Just concentrate on blocking the goals. Michael and I will take care of the bludgers."

Oliver nodded silently before he felt another nervous twinge in his stomach. He stared into space trying not to think about the worst outcome, that they lose because he gets knocked out by a bludger.

"All right everyone, let's get out there and kick some Falcon arse!" Michelle yelled, receiving animated yells from the others.

Oliver grabbed his broom making his way to the door, standing with his other teammates. He was trying to calm himself down. The doors opened and they all flew out one at a time than flying in a v-formation around the stands. The fans were going crazy, yelling and jumping up and down. Many of the men in the crowd had painted their faces and bare chests gold and blue to signify they were fans of Puddlemere United.

When the Falcons flew onto the pitch, the crowd was booing loudly. The Falcons flew around the stadium in a similar formation trying to get a rise out of the audience.

Oliver was in his spot guarding the goals on the south end of the pitch. The second his feet left the ground and he was guarding his goal posts, all his nerves were gone and he was ready to put the Falcons to shame.

The whistle was blown and the game was on! The Falcons were in control of the quaffle and the bulkiest player was heading straight at Oliver. Just as Oliver moved to catch the quaffle, Michael flew in front of him to swat a bludger away. The quaffle slipped threw Oliver's fingers and made it through the goal.

Oliver cursed under his breath for not paying attention to everything going on around him. He could feel his anger rising. He had to work quickly to calm himself down.

"Hey, don't sweat it, Oliver. Just relax, remember Scott and I will block the bludgers." Michael reassured him before flying closer to the chasers.

_Calm down, Oliver. You can't screw this up. Don't worry about the bludgers. Just keep your eyes on the quaffle and keep it out of the goal._ Oliver thought to himself.

Oliver was calm again and waiting for his next chance to save the goal. Vaulker, the only female on the team, came flying hard and fast toward Oliver, the quaffle tucked under her left arm. Oliver was staring intently at the woman waiting for her to release the quaffle and when it did he caught it firmly against his chest and threw it half way down the pitch to Michelle. He felt a satisfied smirk creep onto his face. Oliver could hear the commentator's voice flood the stands.

"Burbank with the quaffle, she's heading down the pitch. Burbank passes to Chuck Lieb. Lieb assessing his options, and Vaulker with the tackle. The Falcons are in control of the quaffle. Vaulker passes to Kinnley, and it's intercepted by Chelsea Navet. Navet passes to Burbank. Burbank shoots and scores! It's not forty to ten, Puddlemere."

The crowd was going crazy. They started singing Puddlemere's team anthem, _Beat Back Those Bludgers, Boys, and Chuck That Quaffle Here._ Oliver punched the air when Michelle scored the goal.

The game continued for another two hours. The heat was nearly as bad as the day before and Oliver was having a hard time concentrating. He had saved the next fifteen goals and only missed four goals. The score was ninety to fifty, Puddlemere United in the lead.

After another fifteen minutes, Karen had finally spotted the snitch and flew in for the win. She fought against the Falcons' seeker. They pushed each other hard, trying violently to grasp the snitch. Inches away from the snitch, Karen pulled through victoriously and caught the tiny golden ball, for the win.

The crowd went insane with screaming, jumping, singing, and dancing. Oliver was so relieved that the game was over. He had endured a few brutal hits from bludgers, but otherwise he was fine. The team gathered in the middle of the pitch surrounding Karen who was holding the golden snitch high in the air.

"Okay, so I think we need to celebrate!" Michelle yelled, a huge grin on her face. "We need to celebrate the fact that we won, and that Oliver let less than five goals in during the entire game!"

"Cheers to that!" The team yelled slapping Oliver on the back in congratulations.

"All right, everyone clean up and meet up at my place in…let's say an hour." Scott told everyone.

"Sounds great!" Chelsea yelled. "Let's get going."

The team walked out of the locker room ten minutes later, agreeing that they would all meet at Scott's flat in an hour and head to McFarlen's Pub which doubled as a night club past 10pm during the week.

Oliver apparated back to his apartment excited for the night's celebration. He showered quickly before shaving. He picked an ensemble that he would be comfortable for staying up into the wee hours in the morning. He wore khaki pants and short sleeve button up red dress shirt.

Ready for a great night and looking sharp, Oliver apparated to Scott's flat. The three men were already dressed and waiting for the others to arrive.

"Hey, Oliver, you're looking sharp." Scott commented when he opened the door. "You lookin' to get lucky tonight?" Scott winked.

"We'll see how the night goes." Oliver laughed thinking of the possibilities.

Oliver greeted the rest of the guys and waited awkwardly for the girls to arrive. Luckily he didn't have to wait very long, when the girls arrived fifteen minutes later, looking fantastic.

"All right, now that everyone's here, let's get this party started!" Karen yelled.

Oliver followed the rest of the team out the door, heading toward a very interesting night.

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**Author's Note: **In the next chapter, a little more humor will make an appearance, as will the 'American quidditch player.'

Please review!!

Yuushi-chan


	3. Chapter 3: McFarlen's Pub

Chapter 3: McFarlen's Pub

Oliver and his teammates had been at McFarlen's Pub for only an hour and he was already uncomfortable. He never really liked drinking, at least not excessively. It was obvious that Michelle had begun drinking before she showed up at Scott's flat. She was dancing very provocatively in the middle of the heat. She was already dancing with her fourth bloke of the night and it was obvious he wasn't going to be the last.

Chelsea and Chuck were sitting at the bar talking quietly and sipping drinks. Oliver watched Chuck lean forward to cup Chelsea's cheek before kissing her lightly on the lips.

"Well, I guess that's not a mystery anymore." Michael said following Oliver's eyes to the bar.

"What? I always thought they were together." Oliver said.

"Oh, no, everyone speculated, but no one ever knew they were really together. This just gives us the right to bitch at them from now on." Scott said with a laugh. "Now if you'll excuse me, that sheila over there has been eyeing me for the last five minutes." He got up, leaving the two men to sit at the table alone.

"Have you seen Karen around?" Oliver asked. "I haven't seen her since we walked in the door."

"She's probably wasted and throwing it all up in the loo." Michael answered. Hearing a beeping sound coming from his watch, Michael saw the hand move from have fun, come home. "Sorry, mate, but the misses is wanting me back. I'll see you at the next practice."

"See you later, Michael." Oliver said shaking hands with his teammate.

Oliver was sitting all alone at the table now. He downed the rest of his beer before having an excuse to get up. He went to the bar and ordered another pint. Holding his refreshed drink he turned around to lean against the bar and search the rest of the pub. He tried to spot anyone looking at him, or anyone he knew. With no luck, he walked back to the table he had been at, finding that Michelle had also gone back to the table. She had a tall martini in her hand that she was sipping, and she looked flushed from the dancing.

Oliver sat down across from Michelle. She looked up having been oblivious to what was going on around her.

"Hey, Oliver. Having fun?" She asked with a small smile.

"Actually, no, I'm really bored." Oliver answered.

Michelle pulled back, shocked, and said, "Why? Haven't you had any luck with the ladies tonight?"

"No, nobody has caught my attention." He said with a sigh.

"I don't know if you realized, but there is one lady who's been checking you out for a while." Michelle said as Scott came back to the table accompanied by Karen.

"What? Which one?" Oliver asked looking around trying to find the woman.

"What are you looking for?" Scott asked.

"Oh, there's this girl that's been checking Oliver out all night." Michelle said with a grin.

"Really? Which one?" Karen asked also looking around.

"She's sitting with a few people about four tables down." Michelle answered subtly pointing away from her body.

"Oh, hey, Michelle you would know more about this, but is she sitting with the members of the Tornados?" Karen asked.

"Oh my gosh, she is. Oh, they were looking for some new recruits, maybe she's the newest member." Michelle said grinning.

Oliver looked at the table the girl was sitting at. Her dark brown hair was pulled back, but he still couldn't see her face because she had bangs that covered her face when she was looking down.

"You should go talk to her, mate." Scott suggested. "I'd say she's an eight."

Oliver turned back to Scott and made a face obviously disgusted with the way his teammate viewed women. He turned his face away from Scott to look at Michelle and Karen. He wanted to know what they thought about him going to talk to this girl.

"Well, I think you should go talk to her, but be calm because she looks uncomfortable in this element. I can't tell what she's drinking, so I don't think you should buy her a drink just yet, but you should at least introduce yourself." Karen told him observing the girl.

"Definitely go talk to her. Find out her name. Try to start a conversation. Oh, but don't ask her how old she is, that offends women." Michelle suggested.

"Okay, what should I talk to her about? I mean most women find it boring or annoying when I talk about quidditch." Oliver asked.

"Well, try starting a conversation about quidditch, I mean she plays for the tornadoes." Michelle answered him.

Oliver felt really nervous now. He looked at the girl and every time he saw her she seemed more beautiful. He didn't want to get rejected, especially in front of her teammates.

"Oh don't be nervous mate. You're a handsome bloke, you'll do fine. Just ask her name and go from there." Scott reassured him.

"All right, I'm going over there now." Oliver stated as he stood from his seat and downed the rest of his second pint of the night.

Oliver walked at an even pace toward the table and at every step he reassured himself that he'd be fine. His hands were sweating a little so he wiped them on his pants. He didn't want her to shake his sweaty hand. He took a deep breath just before he reached the table.

The girl looked up and Oliver saw that she had brown eyes. She looked young, well younger than him. He stood there looking at her face. She made a silent gesture, asking what he wanted. He hadn't realized he'd been staring so long.

"Hi, I'm Oliver." He said extending his hand.

She blushed and tried to hide a smile as she extended her hand toward his. "Hi, Oliver. My name's Lacey."

Oliver could feel his teammates staring at the back of his head, but he could also feel the piercing eyes of her teammates on him. When she spoke he heard a light British accent mixed with another accent he couldn't quite place.

"Lacey, that's pretty name." Oliver complimented trying to see her blush again.

She did blush and looked down breaking the eye contact they had. She looked up again after a few seconds, the blush fading and said, "Thank you, Oliver is a nice name, too. Would you like to go talk somewhere more private, Oliver?"

"Oh, sure." Oliver replied offering his hand to her. She took it and pulled him toward a part of the bare that was more secluded. She let go of his hand to pull herself up onto one of the bar stools. He stood next to her for a second before also seating himself on one of the stools.

"Could I buy you a drink?" He asked her.

"Oh, no, thank you. I don't drink alcohol." She answered him looking a little to her right.

"Oh, you just don't like to or does it make you sick?" He wanted to know why she was in a pub if she didn't drink.

"Well, you see I'm too young." She said.

"What?!" Oliver yelled nearly falling off his stool. "You're not eighteen? How did get in here then?"

"Oh, no, no, no. I'm nineteen, it's just that I don't live here and while I'm here I still have to abide by my country's laws." She told him hurriedly waving her arms around. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Oliver put his hand over his heart trying to make it slow down. "No, it's all right. I just through for a minute that I was hitting on an underage girl." He laughed.

She laughed with him. Oliver felt himself smiling hearing the sound of her laughter. Her voice wasn't deep, but it wasn't high pitched either. When she spoke, the tone of her voice was somewhere in the middle.

"So, you said you weren't from the UK. I can detect a slight British accent when you speak, but there's something else there. Where are you from?" He asked curious.

"I'm American." She said simply, eyeing him for a moment.

"So are you here playing quidditch?" He asked.

She visibly relaxed at his last question. "Yes, I was traded from an American minor league to play for the Tornados. Do you play quidditch, too?"

"Yeah, I'm on Puddlemere United's reserve team. I was playing as a starter today and we won, so my team and I are here celebrating."

"Ah, I see, and are your teammates the ones that are staring at us right now?" She asked flicking her head to her left trying to be subtle.

"That's them. What position do you play?" Oliver asked.

"I'm a chaser. I really don't think I'm that great, but I like to play and I'm very dedicated to which ever team I'm playing for." She told him. "What position do you play?"

"I play keeper. I've been playing quidditch since I was five years old. My father was a quidditch player, but he didn't make it very far. He was very passionate, and I think I inherited that passion." Oliver explained.

Lacey was smiling at him. The rosy blush had returned to her face as she studied Oliver.

Oliver could feel her eyes on him and began to feel a little self conscious. She bit her lip when their eyes met again. Oliver found her attractive and he enjoyed talking to her.

"So, how do you like London?" Oliver asked trying to keep the conversation light.

"Oh, umm…" She looked away thinking over her answer. "I haven't really been here that long, and I'm still getting used to the differences in living, language, and culture. It's definitely different that Chicago."

"Oh, how so?" Oliver was curious about American living.

"Well, for one, the muggle and wizarding communities are intertwined more closely than they are here. Some of my best friends are muggles. There has always been a lot of war and prejudice against one another, but we've tried really hard to coexist. Things have been going really well for the past couple of years, but there's no guarantee that things will stay this way."

"Is that the only difference?" Oliver asked.

"No, but I'm not sure if I should say it." She blushed and made a face.

"Why?"

"Oh, I just don't want to offend anybody, especially you. You're really nice." She told him.

"You won't offend me. I want to know." Oliver said placing his hand on top of hers.

She looked down at the bar where Oliver's hand overlapped hers. She gave a small smile before giving her answer.

"Okay, well, I'm going to try to put this in the best way possible. I know we both speak English, but I swear to God we speak a different language." She said with a short exhale.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I mean your slang is really confusing." Lacey told him.

"Oh, well, I really don't know what to say to that." Oliver gave a small laugh and raised his hand to rub his neck.

"Sorry. I…" She stopped mid sentence to look back at her table. "I'm sorry, I have to go. It was really nice meeting you. I hope that we will meet again, Oliver." She said goodbye and before she left the stood on her tip toes to kiss Oliver on the cheek.

She walked back to her teammates where they all packed up their things and left the pub. Oliver watched her go and just before she walked out the door, she turned around and smiled at Oliver.

Oliver made his way back to the table where his teammates were seated. Michelle was grinning at him as he sat down across from her.

"So, how'd it go? Did you find out her name?" Michelle asked giddily.

"She's nice. Her name is Lacey and she was just traded to the Tutshill Tornados, you were right." Oliver answered her.

"What happened? You nearly looked like you were going to have a heart attack." Karen asked.

"Oh, she told me that she was too young to drink, so I thought she was underage, but she's nineteen. She isn't a citizen, so she still has to abide by her country's laws." Oliver explained.

"So, did she tell you where she's from?" Karen asked.

"Yeah, she's American." He said.

"That's hot." Scott said. He was clearly hammered.

Oliver watched Scott as he began to stare into space.

"Uh, I'm going to get Scott out of here. I think he's overdone it. I'll see you girls at the next practice." Oliver said standing up and gripping Scott's arm.

Oliver led Scott out of the pub and searched the area before apparating back to Scott's flat. He made sure that Scott was safely inside and laying on his bed before leaving and apparating to his own apartment building.

Oliver dressed for bed and got a glass of water before retreating to his bedroom for the night. He lay down under the cool sheets of the bed and rested his head on his firm pillow. He fell asleep quickly with Lacey on his mind.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It had been two days since the game against the Falcons and the night Oliver met Lacey. He found himself wanting to know more about her, like why she had agreed to play quidditch for a country on the opposite side of the Atlantic Ocean.

Oliver was currently getting ready to leave his apartment and head to quidditch practice. His training bag was packed and he had six water bottles with him. He locked his apartment before hurrying down the stairs and out the lobby door. He headed toward the end of the block on Regency Street. Slipping between two buildings, Oliver looked around to make sure no one could see him before apparating. He felt the tight feeling all throughout his body like he was being sucked through a tube, and just before he felt like he couldn't take it anymore, he was standing right in front of the quidditch stadium.

Oliver had been running a little behind schedule. When he approached the locker rooms he paused when he heard a wolf whistle. He turned to see the entire team staring at him with knowing looks.

"What?" Oliver asked trying to look oblivious.

"Well, well, we hear you hit it off with some pretty young thing." Terry, a chaser on the reserve team, said.

Oliver blushed, feeling embarrassed beyond belief at this point. He knew that either Scott or Michelle was responsible for all of this. He looked between the two and Michelle smirked at him.

"I wouldn't say I hit it off with her, I only just met her." Oliver said to Terry and the rest of the team.

"You've got yourself a handful." Terry said.

"Why do you say that?" Oliver asked not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

"She's American isn't she? American women are supposed to be very good at playing cat and mouse, aren't they?" Lawrence, the reserve seeker, spoke.

"Now, you shouldn't be prejudice. I'm sure American women aren't much different than the women here." Michael scolded.

"Hey, hey, hey!" The coach came running up. "Stop chatting about Wood's love life and get on the pitch! Now!"

"Yes, Sir." The team collectively said.

"Wood, why aren't you in your training robes?" Coach Runckle asked.

"Oh, I was running a little late and then the rest of the team stopped me. I'll go change now, Sir." Oliver explained.

"You do that, and I expect you on the pitch in three minutes, no later."

Oliver hurried to the locker room to change. The switch from his everyday robes into his practice robes took less than two minutes, including the time it took for him to stand up after tripping on his pants.

Oliver grabbed his broomstick and ran onto the pitch, getting into position. He looked around and for the first time, he recognized that Philip, the starting keeper, wasn't present. Oliver felt a rush of excitement as he realized he would be playing as the starting keeper for the next match.

Oliver was hovering in front of the goal posts waiting for the whistle. When he heard the shrill note, he readied himself for the first quaffle that would be thrown toward on of the goals.

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Oliver was tired, sore, and starving when practice came to an end. The sun was beginning to set, and turned the sky vibrant colors of gold and pink. He dragged his feet toward the entrance to the stadium where he would be able to apparate.

By the time he was in his apartment, his eyelids felt heavy and his couch was looking very inviting at the moment. He knew he should probably take a shower before getting into bed, but he just couldn't do it. He slipped his shoes off lazily and collapsed on the couch.

The entire night his dreams consisted of playing quidditch and he woke up nearly every hour. Oliver woke up around seven in the morning and decided to get up since he didn't feel that he got any sleep. He showered, ate some breakfast, and cleaned up the kitchen. He was amazed that it had taken him only a little over an hour to accomplish all of this.

Oliver turned to the clock that hung on the wall next to the stove. His eyes went straight to the grease marks around the face of the clock before he noticed the time. It was nearly eight thirty and he didn't need to be at the quidditch stadium until two in the afternoon.

"I guess I'll just try to get some sleep." He said quietly to himself, raking his hand through his still damp hair.

Oliver collapsed on the bed and fell asleep quickly. When the alarm clock went off, it startled Oliver. He shut it off and looked at the time. He still had two hours until he was due to arrive at the stadium.

He grabbed the keys to his apartment and shoved them in his pocket. He pulled on a pair of socks and grabbed the bag he used for quidditch. He used a charm to enlarge the inside of the bag and put his broomstick, quidditch robes, some water bottles, a towel, and a couple of snacks inside of it. He pulled on his shoes and walked out the door. Instead of heading toward his normal alleyway at the end of the road, he went the opposite way.

After thirty minutes of wandering around aimlessly, he found himself in St, James Park. He was on a wide gravel path walking underneath the shade of the tall plane trees. The sun shone brightly above them, casting a bright green glow over the path. He walked toward the lake in the middle of the park. It didn't take him long, but now his feet were sore.

He sat down on the nearest bench and put his bag down next to his feet. He looked out onto the lake and watched the ducks swimming near the shore. He looked at his watch. He still had an hour left. He was still looking down at his wrist when he felt somebody sit down next to him on the bench. He looked out of the corner of his eye and saw it was a familiar somebody.

"Lacey?" Oliver asked the girl.

She turned to look at him and smiled. "Hey, Oliver. How's it going?"

"I'm all right. What are you doing here?" He asked.

"What? I'm not allowed to come to a park and sit on a bench?" She asked. "Well, fine, if you don't want me here, I'll leave." Her voice airy and playful.

"No, I meant, I looked at the schedule for the league and I thought the Tornadoes were playing today?"

"We are, but not until later. I've still got a while." She said with a small smirk.

Oliver wondered what she was thinking at the moment. He wanted to know why she was smirking. She was silent for a while and he figured he may as well start a conversation.

"So…you said you're from Chicago, right? What's it like?" He asked.

"Busy." She answered giving a small laugh.

Oliver rolled his eyes and said, "Could you give me a few more details?"

"I guess. The weather is unpredictable, but the city is beautiful. There's always some kind of even going on. There's so much to do in the city. It's a major hub for travelling, so there are a lot of influences, especially Polish, Irish, and Italian. Chicago is right on Lake Michigan and on nice days it's relaxing to just sit at the beach or go to Grant Park. There are quite a few theaters in the city, too, so there's always entertainment. It's just a very lively city, and it just has so much culture. It's exciting." While she spoke, her eyes lit up as she remembered her home. When she finished explaining, her face turned sad. "I miss it a lot."

"I'm sorry you feel so far away. It sounds like a great city." Oliver told her. He smiled at her and for the first time he realized what she was wearing. Her short sleeve t-shirt was blue with a red and white "C" that held a small bear inside. She bent down to tighten her shoe lace and Oliver was able to see what was on the back. It was the faded name "Ramirez" written in red and outlined in white. The number "16" was written in the same style. Oliver couldn't help, but wonder what quidditch team this was. He figured it was an American league, and he wanted to ask her about it.

"What team's shirt are you wearing?" He asked.

She looked up quickly at him and then down to her shirt. "Oh, it's the Chicago Cubs."

"Is it a major league quidditch team that you wanted to play for?" Oliver asked, now very curious.

Lacey started laughing. "What? No! This is baseball."

"What's baseball?" Oliver asked.

Lacey was laughing again, but then she saw Oliver's face. "Oh my God, you really don't know what baseball is, do you?"

Oliver shook his head and furrowed his eyebrows. "I'm guessing it's a sport."

"Well, you'd be guessing right. Do you know what cricket is?" She asked him.

Oliver nodded.

"Okay, it's kind of like that, only better." Lacey gave a small laugh again. "I'll have to show you how to play sometime. It's a lot of fun. I play all the time with my cousins back home."

"Sure, but how can any sport be better than quidditch?" Oliver asked, completely serious.

"You're just being biased." Lacey told him. "You should really be more open-minded."

Oliver looked down at his watch again. He was shocked to see that he had to leave. He stood up quickly and said, "I have to leave. It was good to see you again." He ran toward the street, looking for the nearest secluded ally to apparate.

Oliver made it to the stadium just in time for practice, but then horror struck.

"I forgot my bag!" Oliver yelled frustrated, and smacked his hand to his forehead. He made to leave the stadium to go get it, but he was called over by Michelle for a pre-game lecture. She grabbed his arm and tried to tell her that he forgot his bag at St. James Park.

"Stop stuttering, Wood. We need to be in the right state of mind if we're playing the Tornadoes today." She said lightly as she shoved him into the locker room.

Oliver sat through the entire pep talk before Michelle noticed he wasn't in his uniform.

"Wood, why aren't you in your quidditch robes?" Michelle asked looking him over.

"I tried to tell you, I was in a hurry and I accidently left my bad in St. James Park." Oliver told her matter-of-factly.

"Ugh! Wood, I can't believe this!" Michelle yelled becoming angry. "Well, go see if you can find it. Hurry up!"

Oliver ran out ahead of the rest of the team getting ready to apparate the second he was out of range. Just as Oliver was about to run toward the exit he heard someone call his name. He turned and saw Lacey walking toward him in her light blue quidditch robes, his bag hanging in her right hand.

"Oliver, I think you're going to need this." She said looking him over. She tossed the bag toward Oliver and he caught it in his arms.

"Thanks, I can't believe I'm playing you." Oliver said.

"It happens." She said shrugging her shoulders.

"Don't think I'll go easy on you!" Oliver became competitive.

Lacey walked heavily toward him and stopped when she was right in front of him. Oliver never realized how much shorter she was than him until right now.

"Don't worry, I don't expect it. You just play hard and fast, and I'll still kick your ass." She said smirking. She walked away toward her teammates, leaving Oliver barely able to move he was so shocked.

"Ooh." Scott said before he burst out laughing at the way Oliver looked.

All Oliver could do was stare after her as she waved to him before walking out of his sight.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: **Here it is, the quidditch match between Oliver and Lacey.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Chapter 5

Oliver hovered in front of the goal posts. He had so far blocked four of the six goals. The two goals that made it past him weren't ever shot by Lacey. So far, she hadn't tried to make a goal. The score was forty to twenty, Puddlemere United winning.

Lacey was very good at intercepting the quaffle, but she had yet to try scoring a goal. The Tornadoes beaters were good, too. Chelsea was out for the rest of the game after a particularly nasty hit to the head from a bludger.

Both sides of the stadium were going crazy. They were taunting, screaming, and singing trying to encourage their teams. Oliver felt alive during this match. He felt more competitive than he had in along time.

_You just play hard and fast, and I'll still kick your ass._ Lacey's words kept repeating in his head. Oliver's blood was hot and all he wanted to do was prove her wrong.

Oliver watched the middle of the field where a battle for the quaffle began between Michelle, Chuck, Lacey, and one of the other Tornados' chasers. Nearly every time Michelle had the quaffle, Lacey was shadowing her and already had one hand on the quaffle. Lacey ripped the quaffle from Michelle's hands and made a long pass down the field to the chaser closest to Oliver.

The chaser with the quaffle shot it toward the goal on Oliver's right. Oliver flew as fast as he could and reached his arm out swatting the quaffle away. Oliver was ready for the rest of the game.

_I still can't understand why Lacey isn't trying to score by herself. She's only been passing to her teammates and tackling our chasers. Maybe she's just all bark and no bite._ Oliver thought to himself as he watched the players at the opposite end of the field.

Oliver shifted toward the center goal as he listened to the commentator.

"Burbank with the quaffle. She's just done a short pass to Lieb. Oh, Lieb has been tackled by Lacey Camlin. Tomlins is looking to make a pass."

Oliver watched Lacey and just as he was looking for who she would pass to, he realized there were no chasers in front of her.

"And Camlin makes a long pass down the field toward the goals. Wow, that girl has an arm!" The commentator yelled.

Oliver was so shocked by the throw Lacey had just made, he didn't even think to move. The quaffle went right into the left goal. The right side of the stadium went wild. Oliver new he looked stunned, but he couldn't help it as he looked toward Lacey. She gave him the most devious of smirks and then raised her brow, silently asking him what he was going to do about it.

"Incredible! And Puddlemere United's keeper is still in shock! He better get his act together if he wants to win this game." The commentator exclaimed.

Oliver heard this and gave a nasty glare toward the commentator. Oliver grabbed the quaffle and made a pass toward the middle of the field, where Chuck caught it. He passed to Michelle the quaffle, but she was tackled again by Lacey. Lacey passed the quaffle to her team captain, Kaylee Mitchem and flew fast down the rest of the field toward Oliver. She stopped in front of Oliver and winked at him. She sat waiting, not even paying attention to the rest of the game.

Mitchem flew up to the goal posts and faked a throw to the other chaser. Oliver flew to the goal the other chaser was in front of, and was surprised when he threw the quaffle toward Lacey. Oliver felt like he was in slow motion.

The quaffle was heading toward Lacey, who had kicked her right leg over the side of her broomstick and was swinging below it. The quaffle was near Lacey now, and she swung her body upward to kick it into the goal. The quaffle sailed through the goal farthest from Oliver.

The Tornado's side of the stadium went wild again. Oliver looked to lacey and she just shrugged.

Just as Oliver went to retrieve the quaffle, Michelle called a time out. Oliver landed softly on the ground with the quaffle tucked under his arm. He tossed the quaffle to the referee before heading over to his huddled team. Michelle looked impatient and anxious.

"It seems we've underestimated the Tornados. They've gotten good." He heard Michelle saying.

"No, they just have one good player. That Lacey girl is a great shot." Karen said.

"If you want, I can take her out." Scott said playing with his bat.

Oliver felt sick to his stomach. He couldn't bear the thought of Scott taking out Lacey with a bludger.

Michelle shook her head and said, "No, Scott, you don't have to taker her out. What I want you to do is guard Oliver. He needs as much help as he can get. Karen, I want you to catch the snitch as soon as you can. And Oliver, I really need you to focus." She glared at him and gave him a knowing look. "Okay, let's head back out onto the field." Everyone headed toward the pitch and mounted their brooms. "Oliver, can I speak to you for a moment?"

Oliver turned around and headed back toward Michelle. "What is it?"

"I know you have a thing for this girl, but you cannot let that get in the way of this game!" She yelled. "Now, focus!"

Oliver gave her a sharp nod and mounted his broom. He kicked off and headed back toward the goal posts. Scott was already hovering near the goals waiting for Oliver.

The game resumed and Oliver found himself doubting his ability to finish the game. The scored was tied now, thanks to Lacey and it was getting more difficult to play with an evenly matched team.

Lacey was in possession of the quaffle again and she raced toward Oliver with it tucked under her arm. She stopped when she was about twenty feet from Oliver and she shot the quaffle toward the middle goal. Oliver saved the goal, but felt the force of the quaffle against his chest.

The game continued for another hour, with neither team scoring another goal. Finally, after waiting such a long time, the game was exciting again. Mitchem and Lacey were doing a double pass down the field. Mitchem threw the quaffle to Lacey. Lacey stood on top of her broom and performed a roundhouse kick, sending the quaffle flying toward the goal on Oliver's left.

Oliver was too late to save the goal. He wasn't even able to touch the quaffle. Oliver went to retrieve the quaffle, and listened to the commentator.

"Another amazing goal by Lacey Camlin! Oh, it seems the seekers have spotted the golden snitch. Karen Lycheck of Puddlemere United is ahead of the Tornado's Rachel Platt. Platt has pulled ahead of Lycheck and is almost to the snitch!" Yelled the commentator in excitement.

Oliver looked over to Lacey who was watching the seekers intently. Oliver looked back to the race for the golden snitch and watched as Karen reached as far as she could, a pained look on her face.

"And Platt catches the snitch! The Tornados have won! Final score: Tornados two hundred, Puddlemere United forty." The commentator yelled over the screaming fans.

Oliver heard Lacey's scream of victory and saw her fly over to her seeker with a huge grin on her face. Lacey nearly knocked the seeker off her broom. Oliver slowly returned to the ground and walked toward the locker room. The Tornados were jumping up and down screaming and laughing about their victory.

Oliver had almost reached the locker room door when he heard a familiar voice call out o him. He turned around and saw Lacey approaching him trying to keep her excitement in check.

"Good game." Oliver told her in a monotone voice.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, you're a sore loser. I just came over here because well…"

She stopped mid-sentence when she saw Scott and Michael approaching to locker room. She blushed deeply as Scott gave her a glare. Oliver could tell she was uncomfortable under his stare. The two passed and Oliver turned back to Lacey.

"Why'd you come over here?" He asked her becoming impatient.

"Oh, right, I just wanted to know, if well… if you would like to go out with me tonight?" She finished her question quietly and looked at her feet trying to hide her deep blush.

Oliver was completely floored. Not once, had he ever been asked out by a woman. He was usually the one who made the first move. Lacey intrigued him.

_I guess I should say yes. I mean, I really do like her. I can't let the events of this game stop me from going out with her. Then I can ask her where she learned those amazing moves._ Oliver reasoned with himself.

Oliver hadn't realized he was taking so much time to think it over. Lacey looked up with watery eyes. He could tell she was embarrassed and very nervous about his answer.

"If you d-don't want to go, that's fine." She said with a quiet, shaky voice.

Lacey began to turn away thinking he was rejecting her. Oliver grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward him so she was facing him.

"I'd love to go out with you tonight." Oliver responded with a smile.

Lacey's expression brightened instantly. "Really?" She asked smiling.

"Yes, when should I come get you? Is seven thirty all right?" He asked.

"Sure, that's great. I live on the north side of St. James Park, in the apartment buildings closest to the park on Dover St. Just ring the buzzed that's listed as Mitchem. If I don't answer, Kaylee will, okay?" She explained to him.

"Okay. Wait, you live with your team captain?" He asked confused.

She nodded, "Oh, and wear something nice. No jeans."

She smiled at him and began to walk away. As she headed toward the other locker room she called, "See you later!" over her shoulder.

Oliver waved goodbye and walked into the locker room to change where his entire team was waiting to hear what that conversation was all about.

_Damn, this is going to be hell!_ He thought.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Author's Note: **So, it finally begins! The first date. I really hope you are enjoying my story. Thank you to everyone who has given a review. I really appreciate your thoughts.


	6. Chapter 6: First Date

Chapter 6: First Date

Oliver checked his appearance in the full length mirror attached to his bedroom door. His blue button downed shirt was crisp and tucked into his ironed khaki pants. He played with his hair trying to create the right effect.

Giving up on his hair, Oliver left the bedroom and walked toward the living room. He stopped at the wooden end table next to the couch and picked up his wallet, placing it in his right back pocket. His brown dress shoes clicked on the wooden floor as he made his way toward the door.

Before locking the door, he ran through his memory to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. Running down the stairs, his shoes clicked and clacked loudly echoing around the stairwell. Oliver made his way toward the alley at the end of the street and apparated to another alley on the north side of St. James Park. He found himself one street over from Dover St.

The sun was low in the sky causing the horizon to become pink. It was still light out, but within the hour the sky would be lit up with stars. It didn't take Oliver long to find Lacey's apartment building. The brick building was four stories high, covered with windows, a few of which were illuminated by the lamps within. He walked up the small staircase to the main door and found the list of tenants. He found the name Mitchem and pressed the button next to the name. He waited a few seconds and heard a woman's voice.

"Hello, who is it?" She asked.

"Oliver Wood." He answered. "I'm looking for Lacey."

"Oh, sure, honey, come on up." She answered with a hint of excitement in her voice.

Oliver heard the telltale buzz of the door before he pulled the handle. Oliver walked up the stairs to the third floor and turned left at the hallway. He looked down at his feet for a moment noticing that his shoes were muffled by the thick green carpet. He looked at the numbers on the doors again and found himself directly in front of Lacey's apartment.

Feeling his stomach give a jolt of nervousness, Oliver knocked on the door. He heard two voices coming from inside.

"Damn, he's here already?" He heard one voice say.

"Yes, yes, now finish getting ready, I'll get the door." The other voice said before unlocking the door. The door opened revealing a short woman with long, curly red hair in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. She smiled at him and waved before speaking.

"Hi, Oliver. I'm Kaylee, Lacey's just finishing getting ready. Come in and make yourself comfortable." She said stepping out of the way for Oliver to move inside.

"Thanks." He said and stepped into the apartment. He looked around and noticed how bright it was. The walls were a vibrant yellow and had pictures hanging from the farthest wall. The long couch was a deep blue, contrasting the walls. Oliver walked toward the middle of the room, the white carpet muffling the sound of his dress shoes. He leaned on the arm of the couch feeling anxious and awkward.

Kaylee smiled at him again and left the room. She walked down the hallway on the left toward a room that's door was only slightly closed. She disappeared behind the door where Oliver heard whispered conversation.

"Why aren't you wearing that dress?" Kaylee asked with an annoyed tone.

"Because I feel uncomfortable in dresses, Kaylee. Besides, I don't like showing off my legs, like some people." Lacey answered in a peeved voice.

"Oh, come on! Wear it, Lacey! You'll look so pretty." Kaylee argued.

He heard Lacey give a huff of annoyance. The door opened slightly and Oliver caught a glimpse of Lacey's back. She was wearing black slacks, but no shirt. Oliver could see her blue bra hooked around her toned back. Lacey turned slightly toward the door and caught Oliver's eye.

Oliver smiled at her and she turned bright red, a squeak escaping her lips. The door slammed and Oliver felt embarrassed.

_I'm such an idiot! Why did I smile at her? I shouldn't have looked. Now she's going to be mad at me. _Oliver sighed and looked down at his feet again. He crossed his arms over his chest and waited patiently.

Oliver heard the door at the end of the hallway creak open and his head lifted. He saw Lacey walking down the hallway toward him, her brown hair pulled loosely behind her shoulders. She wore black slacks with a purple top that hugged her body. The scoop neck of the shirt gave Oliver a nice glimpse of her collar bone and neck. Her silver high heels made a crunching sound as she walked over the carpet.

Oliver couldn't help, but smile when he saw her. She looked completely different than she did during the quidditch match, even more than she looked before the match as well. She smiled back at him, showing her straight, white teeth.

"Hi Oliver." She said stopping directly in front of him.

"Hi, are you ready?" Oliver greeted her.

She nodded and Oliver opened the door for her. They walked side by side toward the stairwell.

Just as they were about the walk down the stairs Kaylee yelled, "Have fun you two!" Lacey blushed and stepped ahead of Oliver. She reached the bottom step first and waited for Oliver to join her at the door.

The pair stepped outside. The sky was now a vibrant purple and a warm breeze swept through the streets. Lacey began to walk to the right down the sidewalk. Oliver caught up with her and fell into step beside her.

"So, where are we heading?" Oliver asked her breaking the silence.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot to tell you." She said. "Umm, there's this restaurant down on the corner. I thought we'd go there." She finished quietly, a slight blush creeping onto her features.

Oliver smiled understanding that she was nervous. He caught her eye and smiled at her.

"You know, you don't have to be nervous. I don't bite, I swear." Oliver said.

Lacey nodded. "Right, I know, but I'm nervous anyway." She told him.

"So, what kind of food does this restaurant serve?" Oliver asked trying to get her talking.

"Italian. Do you like Italian food, Oliver?" Lacey asked. "We can go somewhere else if you'd like."

"Italian's fine, relax." Oliver told her softly.

Lacey let out a slow deep breath and smiled, "Okay."

They walked for another block before Lacey stopped and pointed to a small restaurant across the street. Oliver placed his hand on the small of Lacey's back as they crossed the street. When they reached the other side, Oliver looked down at her and noticed she had turned a deep shade of red.

Oliver pulled his arm back quickly and asked, "I'm sorry, should I not have touched you?"

"No, no, it's all right, I just wasn't expecting it." She answered quickly.

Oliver nodded and watched her expression. He led her inside the restaurant and they were greeted by a thin man in a tuxedo.

"Good evening, Sir. How many will be dining tonight?" The host asked.

"Just two." Oliver answered.

"Very well. Follow me." He told the pair. He grabbed two menus and led them to a table on the other side of the room near a window.

The two took their seats and studied the menus. Oliver spared glances at Lacey to see how she was doing. With her right hand, her index finger was rubbing against her thumb. Oliver knew she was nervous, but he couldn't figure out why.

"Lacey, could I ask you a question?" Oliver asked.

Lacey looked up with anxious eyes. "Sure." She answered.

"If you asked me to go out with you tonight, why are you so nervous?" He wondered.

Lacey's cheeks became tinted with a rosy blush and she stuttered trying to find her words. She put the menu down in front of her.

"I get really nervous when I'm doing something new or unfamiliar. I've never really dated before. I mean, I've been on dates while in a relationship with someone, but I've never dated." She explained to him.

"Oh, is that all?" Oliver responded. "Well, I just want you to relax. I want to be able to talk to you. Just be yourself."

Lacey nodded and picked up her menu again as the waiter made his way to their table. Within minutes, Oliver and Lacey ordered their meals. Oliver tried to strike up a conversation, but he was having a hard time picking topics. Finally, after a few failed topics, Oliver got Lacey to give him an answer that was more than two words.

"What's your family like?" Oliver asked her.

Lacey smiled to herself before answering. "My family is completely insane, but I love them. My mother is a witch, but my father is a muggle. My mother's side of the family all has magical blood, and a few members of my family on my dad's side have magical blood. I miss them."

"So, I'm assuming you don't have any brothers or sisters?" Oliver asked.

"No, I don't have any siblings. I'm very close to my cousins, though. They're kind of like my siblings…in a way. They all have the same sense of humor, childish and immature, but that's what makes it so fun to be around them. We take care of each other. I love them, and I don't know what I'd do without them. I'm very close to my family, if you couldn't tell." She looked at Oliver and smiled. "What about you? What's your family like?"

"My family is different from yours. My parents are very serious, but caring. I have an older sister. She moved out as soon as she was out of school. Her name is Fae. I'm close to my sister and she goes to nearly all of my quidditch matches. She actually just got married last summer. My parents don't really approve of her husband, but he's a really nice guy. My mother likes to have things done her way, or she becomes very tense. My father is a quiet man, but he's strict. My family has strong magical blood. There are few muggle-borns in my family, but that doesn't really matter to me. I have a lot of cousins. My family is very big and I rarely saw my cousins when I was growing up. I enjoy being around my family, but after a while they become too overbearing." Oliver took a deep breath and smiled at Lacey.

Lacey smiled back and Oliver could tell she had definitely loosened up a bit. He was about to ask another question when saw the waiter arriving with their food. Their waiter placed a large bowl of pasta covered in white Alfredo sauce in front of Oliver, and a large bowl of spaghetti and meatballs smothered in marinara sauce in front of Lacey.

The two began to devour their food in silence, being that they were starving after the intense quidditch match they played against each other a few hours earlier. Oliver felt a little self conscious eating so quickly. He could feel the Alfredo sauce splattering onto his face as he slurped the noodles into his mouth. Not wanting to look like a pig, he grabbed the cloth napkin sitting in his lap and wiped his face off.

Oliver looked up and saw Lacey twirling her spaghetti. She placed the wad of noodles and sauce into her mouth and sucked the fork clean. Oliver looked down at her bowl and it was then that he noticed it was already half empty. In time it took Oliver to devour a portion of his food, Lacey had already clear half of her meal.

"What?" Lacey asked with an unsure look on her face.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to stare. It's just…" Oliver broke off.

"It's just what?" Lacey stared.

"How do you eat so fast?" Oliver asked curiosity in his voice.

Lacey blushed and pushed her hair behind her ears. "I didn't realize I was. My mom always tells me I eat too fast. I'm sorry."

"No need to apologize. It's just I was trying not too eat too fast. Most women eat slowly, and I didn't want to make you feel uncomfortable." Oliver reassured her.

"Oh, then by all means, eat at your normal speed." Lacey smiled.

Oliver smiled back at her and resumed eating. The two finished their meals in silence. By the time the waiter had removed their empty bowls and taken their desert orders, the sky was a deep blue and speckled with stars.

"So, this sister of yours, what's she like?" Lacey asked.

"She's a very passionate person. When she finished school, she packed a bag and travelled around the world. She was in Spain when she met her husband. I was happy when she announced she was getting married. She needs to be tied down; my sister never stays in one place for very long." Oliver told her.

"Well, your sister sounds like she knows what she wants." Lacey smiled.

"Yes, she does. My parents could never control her." Oliver laughed.

Their deserts arrived and they continued to converse as they ate. Oliver found that Lacey was very down to earth and that she was able to see one situation from many different view points.

"You know, you're very open-minded. Not a lot of people can look at something for all sides." Oliver complimented.

"I just refuse to take something at face value." She shrugged.

The check arrived and Lacey reached for it. Oliver noticed this and grabbed it before she could.

"What are you doing?" Lacey asked. "I was going to see how much I have to pay."

"Oh, no, no, no. You are not paying. I don't care if you did ask me out tonight, but I would feel awful if I let a woman pay for her own dinner." Oliver said sternly.

Oliver left the money in the book and stood up. He moved around to the opposite side of the table to assist Lacey. He offered her his arm and escorted her outside. The two walked for a block, Lacey still holding his arm, before one of them spoke again.

"You really didn't need to pay for me." Lacey told Oliver.

"No, but I wanted to." Oliver smiled at her. "Did you want me to take you home, or did you have something else planned?"

"Do you have the time?" Lacey asked.

Oliver moved the arm Lacey was holding onto causing her to let go. He turned his wrist to look at the golden watch.

"It's almost nine fifteen." He told her.

"Well, I still really don't know my way around London. Maybe, and only if you want to, you could show me around?" Lacey asked.

Oliver smiled at the face she gave him.

_It's like she's begging me to show her around London. I wouldn't mind showing her around, and it really isn't that late._

"Sure, I'd be happy to show you around." He said.

Lacey smiled and fell into step with Oliver again. The couple made their way toward Buckingham Palace. Oliver wanted to show her the basic landmarks in the city. After explaining the changing of the guard to Lacey, Oliver led her to St. James Park. He knew she had been there before, but there was a small tower in the middle of the park that overlooked the heart of the city.

Oliver helped her climb the steep steps of the tower. He made sure she was in front of him, so she could see London at night. Everything was lit up. It was like everything was alive. Oliver pointed out a few more landmarks. He moved to stand behind her and placed his hands on either side of her body to rest on the railing in front of them. He was so close to her that he could feel her body heat against his chest.

Lacey turned to ask Oliver a question and ended up with her back against the railing and face to face with Oliver.

Oliver looked into her glossy brown eyes. He couldn't decipher what she was thinking. His eyes travelled to her lips and felt and unyielding need to kiss her. He could hear Lacey's breathing pick up. He leaned forward slightly allowing her to judge if she wanted to kiss him. He closed his eyes and leaned a little closer to her. After waiting for a few seconds, Oliver felt Lacey's lips against his.

_Her lips are so soft and warm._ Oliver thought as he moved his lips against hers.

Lacey pulled away lightly and leaned her head down, rubbing her lips together. Oliver gave her a soft smile and reached for her hand. Holding her hand in his, he stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

Lacey looked up at Oliver and said, "You can take me home now." She smiled back at him and started to walk down the steep stairs of the tower.

After Oliver had walked Lacey to the main entrance of her apartment building, he walked toward the same alley he apparated in and disapparated back to his apartment.

Oliver couldn't stop smiling. He had a good night and he could help thinking that he hadn't been this happy in a long time. He kept thinking about Lacey, and the quidditch match, and his family while he changed for bed. He set his alarm clock and slipped into bed. Oliver fell asleep feeling content and relaxed.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Oliver awoke well rested and ready for his free day. He hadn't had a day off from quidditch in three months. He walked toward his bathroom, passing through the kitchen on his way. It was completely clean and everything was in order. Oliver entered the bathroom and took his time getting ready for the day.

After nearly an hour of showering and grooming, Oliver was fully dressed and ready for some breakfast. He walked into the kitchen, but paused when he noticed the small envelope addressed to him sitting on the table. He picked up the envelope and studied the hand writing. It was definitely a woman's, but not a scrawl he had ever seen before. Not wanting to wait any longer, Oliver broke the seal and slipped the letter out of the envelope.

_Oliver,_

_I had a wonderful time last night. Thank you so much. I really like you, and I was wondering if you'd like to go out with me again? There's a music festival going on this weekend. Would you like to go with me and a few friends? Write back soon._

_Lacey_

Oliver smiled while he read the letter. He rushed to the desk in the corner of the living room and pulled out a piece of parchment, a bottle of ink, and a quill. He quickly scrawled his response and read it over to make sure Lacey would be able to read it.

_Lacey,_

_I'd love to go out with you again. The music festival sounds like fun. Do you mind if I bring a few friends of my own along? I can't wait to see you again._

_Oliver_

Oliver slipped the letter in a crisp envelope and sealed it. He dipped the quill in the ink and wrote: _Lacey Camlin_ across the paper. Oliver walked to the small balcony just outside his bedroom and found a tawny owl on the perch. He offered the letter to the owl. The small bird grabbed the letter with its beak.

"I need you to take this back to your owner, Lacey." Oliver told the owl.

The owl gave a soft hoot and lifted off the perch with its long wings. Oliver watched the owl fly away until it was just a speck in the sky. He was disrupted by a loud growl. In his haste to write back, he had forgotten to eat.

Oliver walked back to the kitchen and prepared a large breakfast for himself.

*********************************

Just as Oliver was finishing cleaning up the mess he had made, a small tawny owl flew in through the open window. The little bird landed deftly on the kitchen table and gave a soft hoot, dropping the letter. Oliver dried his hands and walked to the kitchen table. The owl cocked its head to the side as he picked up the letter and broke the seal.

_Oliver,_

_Bring whom ever you'd like. I don't mind. Meet me at my apartment tonight at 7:30. If I don't answer the intercom, Kaylee will. I can't wait to see you._

_Lacey_

Oliver smiled and put the letter back on the table. The owl hooted softly again and Oliver looked down at it. Its golden eyes were staring at him as if waiting for something.

"Ah, I know what you need." Oliver said before walking toward the cupboard above the stove. He opened the door and reached his hand back, grasping a small cardboard box. The owl hooted seeing the treats Oliver held in his hand.

"Here you go." Oliver said tossing the treats onto the table. The owl ate the treats quickly and hooted his appreciation before flying out the same way he'd come in.

Oliver moved the letter to the small wooden desk in the corner of the living room before cleaning the kitchen table. When he was done, he glanced at the clock.

"Huh…it's noon now. What should I do today?" He asked himself quietly.

Just as he finished the question, the intercom buzzed loudly. Oliver went to it and asked who it was. His reply was a loud gargle. It seemed there was more than one person here to see him. He pressed the second button and allowed it to give a soft buzzing sound for five seconds.

Within minutes there was a rapid knock on his front door. He opened it and saw three of his teammates standing there.

"Umm… Hey guys." Oliver greeted.

"Hey Oliver!" All three of them greeted with enthusiasm.

"Come on in." Oliver stepped aside. "So, what brings you to my apartment?"

"Well, a little bird told us that you are seeing Lacey Camlin again tonight." Michelle announced with a knowing look.

"How do you know that?" Oliver asked defensively.

"I've known Kaylee Mitchem for years, Oliver. When one of her teammates is involved with a stud like you, she's gonna tell everyone!" Chelsea exclaimed.

"So…how'd it go last night?" Karen pried for information.

"It went fine." Oliver started. "Hey, since you three are here…would you like to go to the music festival with me tonight?"

The three women looked at each other. They each made small gestures with the lips, heads and hands.

"I thought this was going to be another date?" Chelsea asked confused.

"Well, she said she'd be bringing a few friends and that I was welcomed to bring a few as well." Oliver explained. "So, you gals want to come?"

"I'm game!" Michelle smiled.

"Sure, it sounds like fun." Karen answered with a smile.

They all turned to Chelsea. She looked like she was weighing her options. The entire team knew she was dating Chuck.

"I would, but…" Chelsea started.

"Chuck can come. Besides, I would mind having another guy around." Oliver smiled.

Chelsea turned beat red. Oliver was confused now. Chelsea's eyes were wide and the color was draining quickly from her cheeks.

"See, I told you everyone knew." Michelle whispered harshly at the stunned girl.

"Sorry. Was I not supposed to say anything?" Oliver directed at Karen.

"Oh, no, it's fine. She needed to hear that. She and Chuck thought they were doing a good job of keeping it secret." Karen rolled her eyes.

Oliver chuckled feeling a little uncomfortable. Michelle was trying to calm Chelsea before she had a heart attack, and Karen was giving him the once over making him feel as if he were a piece of meat. He had always known that Karen had feelings for him, but he never knew if they were feelings of attraction or hunger.

Michelle broke the tension by announcing they would be leaving to start getting ready for this evening. The three women left quickly and said good-bye.

Oliver would never understand why women need such a long time to get ready for an event that was hours away.

"Well, I'd better get on with my day off." Oliver said to himself. He walked to the living room and turned on the television, a large box that had moving, talking pictures in it. This was something he learned about from his muggle cousins back home in Scottland. They watched the _television_ for entertainment. "I have to admit this is pretty entertaining."

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Author's Note**: All right, sorry about the wait, everyone. I started my fall semester at school and I've been really busy. I know this chapter was short. The next one will be set at the music festival and it will be a longer chapter, I promise. Please review!

Yuushi-chan


	8. Chapter 8: The London Music Festival

Chapter 8: The London Music Festival

Oliver stood just outside is apartment building with Chelsea, Chuck, Michelle, Karen, and two men he had just met named Tom and Alan; Tom was Michelle's date and Alan was Karen's date. Oliver felt awkward and out of place. Alan was standing a bit away from the party with Karen, a lit cigarette in his mouth. They were waiting for Lacey and her party; they were all to meet at Oliver's apartment and then walk three blocks to the area where the music festival was taking place. They had changed their plans a couple hours before they were supposed to meet. Oliver thought it would be easier if they met in separate parties at his place, since the festival was located closer to him.

"So, Oliver…you not able to snag a girl for tonight?" Tom asked setting his hand on Michelle's hip.

"Actually, I was invited by a girl and we happen to be waiting for her." Oliver said flatly. He really didn't like this guy. This Tom guy had been looking him over all night and he was grab-assing Michelle very five seconds.

Oliver turned away trying to hold his tongue when he heard the distinctive 'pop!' of someone apparating. Oliver looked down the road and saw Lacey walking toward him, a large smile on her face. She was escorted by her roommate and team captain, Kaylee, another woman from her team, and two men he didn't recognize.

"Hey, you!" Lacey called just before she reached Oliver.

"Hi." Oliver greeted before giving her a short kiss on the lips.

"So, let me introduce everybody. This is Kaylee, Cynthia, Josh, and David." She said pointing to everyone individually. Each one gave a wave of acknowledgement, or a nod.

"Nice to meet you all. This is Michelle, Chelsea, Karen, Chuck, Tom, and Alan." Oliver repeated the same actions for his companions. "Everyone, this is Lacey."

"So, is everyone ready?" Lacey asked and looked around. "All right then, let's go!"

She turned around and started to head down the street, Oliver at her side. The large group was awkwardly silent, and Lacey seemed a little uncomfortable being scrutinized by Oliver's teammates. Seeing that she was uncomfortable, he placed his arm around her shoulders. Her body stiffened and he was worried he made the wrong decision, but she relaxed quickly and leaned into him.

"Oh, look!" Michelle whispered excitedly to Kaylee. They had been good friends in school before they became professional quidditch players.

"I know. Oh, this is great!" Kaylee whispered just as excitedly. "Lacey, just…she needs this. She's been tense for weeks, ever since she joined the team. She can finally loosen up now."

Hearing the last part, Lacey moaned. Oliver looked down at her and she rolled her eyes with a disgruntled look. Oliver tried to keep his face void of any amusement, but a smile slipped out.

"Oliver is similar, but he's such a nice guy; he doesn't talk enough. I'm hoping that this will make him open up to us more." Michelle informed her friend.

Oliver slipped his arm off of Lacey's shoulders and turned around, walking backwards.

"I talk enough." He said defensively to his team captain.

"Oh, please. When you talk it's never about anything that pertains to you; it's _always_ about quidditch. That's okay when we're on the field, but not at a bar, or a party." Michelle emphasized.

Oliver's face fell, "You sound my team when I was at school."

Chuck laughed, "Yeah, I heard stories." Chuck had been a fifth year in Hufflepuff when Oliver was a first year.

Oliver, annoyed with the criticisms, turned around again and wrapped his arm around Lacey, his hand resting on her hip.

"This is exactly why I just stay quiet." Lacey said softly to him.

Oliver smiled down at her. "So how much farther do we have to go?"

"Just one more block, that way." She said pointing down the street to the right.

The group rounded the corner and got their first look at the mayhem that was ensuing. Lights were blaring everywhere; people were screaming and running up and down the street; the music was so loud they could make out the words from a block away.

"Merlin's pants!" Karen yelled as she surveyed the scene.

"Yeah, I'd say." Kaylee's date, Josh, said.

"C'mon let's get this party started!" Michelle yelled and dragged Tom toward the crowd.

Everyone else followed Lacey and Oliver at the very back.

"So, this is your idea of fun?" Oliver teased.

"As a matter of fact, it is." Lacey said her eyes closed and her head held high. "There's a music festival like every weekend in Chicago during the summer. This is something I'm used to. Don't worry, Oliver, I won't leave your side all night."

"Oliver smiled and held out his hand to her. She took it and he said, "All right then, let's go join the crowd." Lacey smiled and the two followed their friends to the center of the frenzy.

The music was so loud that Oliver had to yell to talk to Lacey. The others noticed this same problem with each other. Oliver and Lacey were the first to step a little more into the edges of the crowd and began to dance together. Lacey noticed very quickly that Oliver wasn't really dancing.

She stopped and placed her hands on his arms. "What are you doing?" She asked with a look.

"Dancing with you?" He said confused.

She laughed, "That is not dancing. You're moving side to side."

Oliver exhaled in a huff, "It takes too much to please you, maybe I don't want to date you anymore." He smiled at her and placed his forehead against hers.

She smiled and kissed his nose lightly. "It's not all that hard to please me. You just have to do everything I say." She said playfully.

Oliver pulled his head away from hers as a slow song came on, Aerosmith's "Don't Want to Miss a Thing." Oliver smiled at Lacey and held out his hand to her. She accepted, but not without giving him a suspicious look.

He pulled her out into the middle of the dance floor where all the couples were swaying back and forth. Oliver took her left hand in his and put his left hand on her hip. She looked up at him just as she put her right hand on his shoulder; she smiled softly at him. He took it as an incentive and gracefully guided her across the dance floor. Oliver looked down at her and saw how her eyes were alight with happiness. Oliver could tell that Lacey had never been formally taught how to dance, but he was just fine with giving her a lesson right here and now.

When the song was over, Oliver held onto her hand and gave it a soft kiss. She looked at him as if she was seeing him for the first time. She then pulled him off the dance floor and to one of the large tents that held tables and chairs. They sat at the closest table.

"Where did you learn to dance like that?" Lacey asked incredulous.

"My parents hold a winter party every year. I learned how to dance ballroom when I was eight years old and I've had lessons just before the party every year since." He told her.

"Wow. That was…great!" Lacey said excitedly.

Oliver laughed and placed his hand on hers. "Really, it's nothing new to me. Hey do you want anything to drink? Or eat?" He asked.

"Actually some water would be nice. And yes, maybe some food." She laughed and stood up with Oliver.

"Then let's go find something." He said wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

The festival was packed with little booths for food, drinks, and trinkets. Oliver and Lacey each found something that they liked and went to sit down in the tent again. They saw Kaylee and Josh, Michelle and Tom, and Cynthia and David sitting at one of the tables eating and drinking also. They joined them and everyone and noticed that most of them were quiet; they were so hungry that they were shoving their food down their throats.

Oliver ate his fish and chips and drank his beer, while Lacey ate her roast beef and swallowed her water in large gulps. The two were silent for a long time and were completely oblivious to the fact that their friends were staring at them.

Oliver noticed them staring during mid-swallow. He put his beer down and looked at Michelle. His eyes narrowed at her and she just smiled and moved her eyes between him and Lacey. Oliver's eyes followed hers and landed on Lacey. He nudged her with his elbow, but she didn't respond. He nudged her again.

"I'm not responding for a reason, Oliver. I'm pretending they're not looking at me as if they're waiting for me to jump up and proclaim my love for you." She said dramatically.

Kaylee laughed hysterically at this comment and would have fallen off her chair if Josh hadn't put his hand on her back.

Oliver was taken aback by her quick comment. "Uh, so you know they're all staring at us?"

"Of course, I'm just pretending they're not there." Lacey said stiffly before finishing her food and standing up to find a garbage can to throw away her trash in.

Once she had left the table, Kaylee and Michelle jumped at the moment to talk to Oliver.

"So, what happened last night?" Kaylee asked rushed.

"What?" Oliver asked confused.

"Lacey won't dish any details. So, what happened last night?" she asked again.

"Uh…" Oliver wasn't sure if he should say anything. He started to blush when he thought of when they had kissed the night before. The girls looked at each other and smiled excitedly.

"Oliver, what happened?" Michelle asked.

"We went to dinner and then I showed her around London." He said trying not to give anything away.

"Oh, that cannot be all that happened." Michelle said rolling her eyes.

"Actually, that very well may be. Lacey doesn't strike as the kind of girl that would do anything in a rush." Kaylee interjected.

Michelle pouted clearly upset that nothing really juicy had happened between the two the night before. Kaylee put her elbow on the table and placed her chin in the palm of her hand. It was then that Lacey came back. She smiled at him and threw her head in the direction away from the table. Oliver got the hint right way and stood up quickly. He went to put his arm on her lower back, but she turned around.

"We kissed, that's all." She hissed at the two team captains before pushing Oliver away from the table.

As they walked away they heard the girls squeal in delight. Oliver rolled his eyes; he would never understand women. They walked out of the tent back into the mayhem.

They stood together on the edge of the crowd. Then, Oliver had an idea. He really wanted to know more about her and he knew there was no way they'd be able to talk here.

"Hey, would you like to come back to my place?" Oliver asked looking into her eyes.

Here eyes widened and her skin had begun to flush a delicate red color.

_What did I say that was so wrong?_ Oliver thought. _I asked her to come over to my apartment tonight. Oh dear._

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that, I just meant to talk." Oliver said in a rush.

She exhaled the breath she had been holding in. She was back to her normal color, but she still looked a little shaken.

"Sorry, my thoughts shouldn't have gone straight to that. Sure, I'd like to go to your apartment. You're right; we're not going to get much talking done here." Lacey smiled at him.

Oliver placed his hand on the small of her back and led her across the street and down the road to his apartment. It didn't take long for them to get to his place, but it was very dark out. The one thing that Oliver thought was a plus was that Lacey leaned into him obviously unsure of their surroundings. He led her up the steps to the apartment complex door and easily reached around her to unlock it. She turned around to look at him, silently inquiring which way they needed to go.

"I'm on the second floor; the apartment directly to the right of the staircase." He said softly to her.

She walked up the stairs and waited at his door. He quickly unlocked the door and let her into his apartment. He could tell she was questioning her decision to come to his apartment.

Oliver turned on the light and shut and locked the door. He turned around ready to ask her if she wanted anything to drink, but when he saw her she was staring, mouth gaping, around his apartment.

"What? It's just an apartment." He said.

"Just an apartment? I could fit two of my apartment in this place. And I live in a two bedroom." She said shocked.

"Really, I just got lucky with money and this place had just opened, so I got a good deal." He answered her. "So, on another note, would you like anything to drink?"

"Water's fine." She said smiling.

"Make yourself comfortable." Oliver called behind him, but noticed she was following him.

"Actually," She started, but stopped and gave a slight blush. "Where's your bathroom?"

He chuckled, "Oh, right across from the kitchen." He presented the bathroom as if he were showing off a new car on The Price is Right.

She laughed at his gesture, "Thank you."

He got her a glass of water and got himself a beer. He took the two beverages out into his living room and placed them on the coffee table.

_Man, I am so glad I cleaned this place today._ He thought as he looked around the room. He sat down on the right side of the couch and heard the door to the bathroom open with a 'click.' He turned and saw Lacey walking toward him looking a little uncomfortable. She sat down on the left side of the couch and was sitting very stiffly.

"I don't mean to make you uncomfortable." Oliver apologized.

"Oh, no, it's not you; I'm just uncomfortable in new places." She said and there was another awkward silence.

"It must have been pretty bad when you first got here then, huh?" He tried to make conversation.

She nodded silently, "It was. I had a really hard time adjusting the first month."

"When's the next time you'll go back and see your family?" Oliver asked.

"Oh, I'm going back for Thanksgiving." She answered. "At the end of November." She added remembering that Oliver probably wouldn't know when America's Thanksgiving was.

"Oh, you still have some time before you see them again." Oliver noted.

"Yeah, but enough about me. What about you? How often do you go back to Scotland?"

"Oh, I see my family during the summer before I go back to quidditch and then for Halloween, and again for Christmas and New Year's." He said. "Speaking of which, my family hosts a party every Halloween. I know it's a little over a month away, but would you like to go with me? Meet my family?"

"Oh, wow… meeting your family so soon." She was thinking it over. "We'll see how things go, all right?"

"Sure, sure. I'm not trying to pressure you into meeting my family or anything. It's just at these parties my parents try to throw, what they classify as, eligible girls at me. It'd be nice if I didn't have that or my friends making fun of me the whole night for it." Oliver chuckled in embarrassment.

"Oh, at least that's a subtle hint. My mom actually comes out and asks, 'Why don't you have a boyfriend?' 'Why don't you talk to more people?'" She mocked her mother. "Trust me that is way worse. It makes you feel really bad."

After that, they were more comfortable around each other and conversation came easily to them. They talked well into the night and eventually turned on a movie and watched together. Neither of them was really watching it, though. They were talking too much that neither of them what was going on. Eventually, Lacey fell asleep and Oliver turned off the television. He picked her up, trying not to wake her, and carried her to his bed. Her shoes had come off not long after she had finally gotten comfortable, so all he had to do was put her under the covers. He turned off the alarm on his clock, grabbed a pillow, and, as silently as he could, closed the door. He went to the linen closet and grabbed a blanket. Oliver laid the pillow on the arm rest farthest from the door, so he would be facing it. He then lay down on his makeshift bed and put the blanket over himself.

Before falling asleep, Oliver cast a spell to be able to wake up when he needed to. He had quidditch practice in the morning and there was no way he could miss that. He finally got comfortable and fell asleep thinking of the beautiful girl currently sleeping in his bed.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Oliver awoke to an incessant high pitched whistle. It took him a few seconds to realize that the whistling was coming from his wand which was spinning on the top of the coffee table. He picked it up and silently repeated the reverse spell; his wand stopped whistling immediately. He sat up and stretched; his neck ached and his legs felt cramped.

"This couch was not meant to be slept on." Oliver said to himself before getting off the couch and heading to the bathroom.

He walked down the hall and, as quietly as he could, opened the door to check on Lacey. He was surprised to see the bed empty. He swung the door open wide and took long strides to the bed. He saw a note lying on the pillow and saw Lacey's unmistakable scrawl.

_Oliver-_

_I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up. I woke up around three in the morning. I had quidditch practice this morning, so I set your alarm for myself. I hope you're not terribly mad at me when you read this. If you're not mad, I'd love to go out with you again some time. Send me an owl with your answer and your practice and game schedule. I'm sorry I had to leave a note._

_Lacey_

_P.S. You talk in your sleep._

"I should have asked her if she had practice. That was really stupid of me to just assume she didn't need to wake up at a certain time this morning." Oliver chastised himself.

He looked over at his alarm clock and saw that it was half past nine; he had a little over two hours to shower and eat before heading to practice. He walked to the kitchen, Lacey's note still clutched in his hand. He made himself some porridge and reread Lacey's letter as he ate.

Oliver placed his empty bowl in the sink and went to the desk to look for parchment and a quill. He found some and dipped the quill in a bottle of ink. He paused over the parchment; he didn't know how to start.

_Lacey,_

_I was surprised to see the bed empty when I went to check on you this morning. I completely understand why you had to leave. It was my fault; I should have asked you if you had to be up at a certain time. I'm sorry._

_Anyway, I have practice all week until 7pm, and if Brian Court is still out, I may have a game next Saturday. I have practice all next weekend and the following week, but that Friday I'm free. I'll let you know if anything changes._

_Oliver_

_P.S. What did I say while I was sleeping?_

Oliver read over what he wrote and was satisfied with it. He folded the letter and put it in an envelope. He left it on the kitchen table and went into the bathroom to take a shower. He was always quick when it came to washing up; he had only been in the shower for fifteen minutes. He dressed quickly, grabbed his bag full of his quidditch things and the letter, and left his apartment.

He headed toward the small wizarding post office a few blocks away. There were charms on it that made muggles suddenly remember important appointments if they came too close. He went to the front desk and paid for a small local delivery owl. He tied the letter to the leg of a small brown owl and threw it into the air. The owl took off immediately, excited to have been picked for a delivery.

The walk to the post office had cleared Oliver's head. He felt calmer and was ready for another long day of quidditch practice. He checked his watch and saw he had fifteen minutes until practice started. He went to a small alleyway and apparated just outside of the stadium. He quickly changed into his practice robes and pulled his broom from his bag. He went to the store shed and pulled out the crate that held the game balls and bewitched the quaffle to fly on its own.

The ground was hard and gave Oliver a great kick off from the ground. He did a few laps around the pitch before taking his place in front of the goal posts. He caught the quaffle every time it came toward the goals.

The air was cool; autumn was approaching quickly. The sun was shining and it warmed his face as he practiced by himself.

"Oliver, come down here!" Michelle yelled waving her arm to get his attention.

Oliver landed on the ground ten feet from where Michelle stood. He walked over to her and saw Michael walking toward them.

"Hi, Michelle." Oliver greeted.

"Hi, listen, you'll be practicing with us tonight and tomorrow, but on Tuesday, Brian will be back. You'll be bumped down to the reserve team again." She told him.

Oliver felt his stomach tighten. "So, the healers cleared him to come back?"

"Yes, his arms stopped vanishing yesterday, but they want to make sure he's going to stay completely solid. He'll be back on Tuesday." Michelle reiterated.

All Oliver could do was nod. Michael reached them and patted Oliver on the shoulder.

"Don't worry, if Brian gets knocked out by a bludger in the next game, you'll be his replacement." Michael tried to reassure him.

"Yeah, of course." Oliver said before turning and walking toward the locker room.

Practice went by in a sort of haze. Oliver had enjoyed being in the spotlight for the last week. It had reminded him of when he was the captain of the Gryffindor team. As the practice came to an end, Oliver landed on the ground with a dull thud and walked slowly toward the locker room to pack up his things. He quickly dressed and left without saying goodbye to the rest of the team. He wanted to get out of there as quickly as he could; he apparated the moment he was off the premises.

Oliver walked to his apartment in a daze and repeated his normal routine in the same way. He showered, and the entire time he was under the water he couldn't help thinking that the starting team wasn't going to treat him the same as they had in the past week. He sighed and turned off the water, stepping out of the shower and drying himself off with a fluffy red towel.

He walked to his bedroom, the towel wrapped around his waist, to get dressed. He pulled on a pair of warm sweat pants over his boxers and pulled a t-shirt over his head. When he was walking toward the bathroom to place his now wet towel on the rack, he noticed something on the kitchen table. He put the towel on the rack and went straight to the kitchen table; a letter was sitting there. He opened it quickly recognizing Lacey's handwriting.

_Oliver,_

_I'm free that Friday night as well. I'd love to see you again before then, but I'm nor sure if it will work out. I had no idea you were on the reserve team; I always got the impression that you were the starting keeper._

_Just so you know, I'm not opposed to you coming to my apartment just to sit around and talk, or vice versa. We really don't have to go out for it to qualify as a date. Please let me know if we could see each other sooner than two weeks._

_Lacey_

_P.S. What you say in your sleep is for me to know and you to find out._

He smiled after reading the letter. It was the only good news he had gotten all day. He read the letter a couple more times considering what she meant when she said that they didn't need to go out for it to qualify as a date. He always got the impression that when you take a girl on a date you go out. He was a little bummed when he read what she thought about him being the starting keeper.

Oliver raced out to the living room to grab a piece of parchment and a quill. He dipped the quill in a bottle of black ink and began to write furiously.

_Lacey,_

_Send me your practice and game schedule like I did for you. Maybe I can find a time when we can meet during the next two weeks._

_I'm almost sure I mentioned that I'm the reserve keeper for Puddlemere, but I guess I didn't. I really wish I was starting keeper. I'm in my fourth season with this team and I haven't moved up at all. _

_If you have any suggestions for dates let me know. I want to know what you like to do. Let me know as soon as possible what your schedule is._

_Oliver_

Oliver folded up the parchment, shoved the letter in an envelope and sealed it shut. It was then that he realized he wouldn't be able to send the letter until tomorrow morning. But just as he thought this, a small brown owl fluttered into his kitchen through the open window. He recognized it as the same owl that Lacey had sent a couple days earlier. It wasn't carrying a letter this time. Lacey must have been waiting for his response.

"Are you here to take my response to Lacey?" He asked the owl.

The owl just looked at him with its large amber eyes and stuck out its leg. Oliver attached the letter to the small owl's leg and stepped back. Oliver waited for the owl to take off, but it stayed sitting in the center of the table.

"Well, go on. Get going." Oliver said motioning to the open window.

The owl hooted softy and hopped toward Oliver. It was waiting for something.

"You want treats don't you?" Oliver asked it.

The owl hooted again and hopped closer to him.

"Fine." He said walking to the cabinet and taking out a small box of Owl Treats. The owl hopped to the opposite side of the table as Oliver placed the treats on the table. "Are you happy now? Will you get going now?"

The owl hooted and flapped its wings hard taking off from the table. As it passed over Oliver, it clipped him in the shoulder with its talons squeezing it in thanks.

When the owl was gone, Oliver sat down in the chair closest to the window to wait for Lacey's response.

"I wonder if she tells that owl to wait for me to give it treats every time?" Oliver asked himself.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Oliver sat in his living room with a quidditch book lying open in his lap. Practice had been cancelled; the thunder storms coming through London were severe. It had been raining from the moment he woke up to now, early evening. The quidditch book was not currently being read. Oliver was looking out the window deep in thought.

It had been nearly two months since he last saw Lacey. They had been writing to each other regularly, but during the last two weeks, Lacey's responses had stopped coming. Oliver wasn't going to lie to himself, he was worried about her. October had come and gone without a spare chance for the couple to meet anywhere for a meal. Quidditch season was in full swing and days off were rare. Now it was the end of November and Lacey had stopped writing to him.

Oliver was pulled from his thoughts when he heard a hard knock on his front door. He placed the book open-faced on the coffee table before getting up to answer the door. He stretched feeling his back crack in several places. He looked through the peephole, but couldn't see who was standing in the hallway; the person had his back to the door. Oliver unlocked the door to greet whoever was standing there.

"Hey, Oliver." Chuck greeted with a hand raised.

"Oh, hi, Chuck. What are you doing here?" Oliver asked confused.

"I needed to talk to you. Can I come in?" He was drenched his hair dripped water down his face.

"Yeah, sure." Oliver said stepping aside to let the man in.

Chuck slipped his wet shoes off and took his coat off. Oliver walked past him quickly and grabbed a towel from the linen closet.

"Here, this might help." Oliver said handing the towel to Chuck.

"Thanks." He said with a smile before drying his hair.

"So, why are you here?" Oliver asked curious; Chuck didn't often speak to him.

"Well, I just needed to talk to someone and I thought you might be able to help me out." Chuck said nervously.

"What exactly do you need help with?" Oliver was being cautious now.

"Well, it's about Chelsea. She's been really distant lately and every time I try to bring it up, she changes the subject." Chuck said sitting down in one of the wooden chairs at the kitchen table.

"I don't know what you want me to do about that; you know I don't have a lot of experience with long term relationships. Shouldn't you be asking Michael for advice? He is married." Oliver suggested.

"I didn't want to bother him. Besides, we've know each other for a respectable amount of time. Anyway, what I'm getting to is, Michelle talks to you, and she also talks to Chelsea. I wanted to know if you'd be willing to ask Michelle what's going on with Chelsea. She tells Michelle everything, but Michelle doesn't like talking to me much." Chuck explained.

"You're laying a lot on me right now, buddy." Oliver said heavily.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but this may mean the end of my relationship with Chelsea; I don't want that. I mean, I love her. I was going to ask her to marry me, but then she became distant. I just want to make sure she didn't find out that I was going to propose and she freaked." Chuck sighed.

Oliver took a good look at the man. He was pale and he had dark circles under his eyes; he obviously hadn't been sleeping well. Oliver knew Chuck and Chelsea lived together; they had been in a relationship for almost a year and a half. He also noticed that Chuck's shoulders were hunched like he was sitting there feeling defeated.

"All right, fine. I'll talk to Michelle, but don't be surprised if I don't get any information." Oliver said grudgingly.

"Really? Thank you, Oliver." Chuck said lighting up.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Oliver offered.

"Got any beer?"

"Yeah, I do." Oliver turned around and grabbed two beers from the fridge.

Chuck had lightened up after he told Oliver what was going on. They talked for a few hours about quidditch and their teammates. After a little while the conversation turned to Oliver's relationship with Lacey.

"So, how are things going with that American girl?" Chuck asked sipping his third beer.

"Eh, I don't know really. We haven't seen each other in nearly two months and she stopped responding to my letters a couple of weeks ago. I just wish that if she doesn't want to be in a relationship with me anymore she would just tell me." Oliver said putting his beer on the table.

"I'm sorry, mate. She didn't give any hints in her past letters of why she stopped writing?" Chuck asked.

"I don't think so." Oliver got up and went to the writing desk in the living room to get Lacey's letters. He brought the stack of parchment to the kitchen table and opened the most recent letter. He read it over and mentally beat himself up.

"Oh, man, I'm such an idiot. I completely forgot." Oliver said.

"What is it?"

"She says it right here, 'I'll write to you again once I get back here. I'm spending two weeks with my family for Thanksgiving.'" Oliver read aloud.

"Well, at least you know she's still interested in you." Chuck laughed.

"Yeah, I guess so." Oliver said reading the letter again. He looked at the clock on the kitchen wall and noted that it was four in the evening.

Chuck followed Oliver's eye line and saw what time it was, his eyes going wide.

"Oh, wow, I lost track of time. I gotta get back to my flat to meet Chelsea. She's been getting really mad at me if I'm not home when she gets home. She never used to be like this." Chuck said standing up and walking toward the front to put his shoes on and grab his coat. As Chuck opened the door to leave, he turned around to face Oliver. "So, you'll talk to Michelle, right?"

"Yeah, I'll talk to her about Chelsea. But like I said, I can't make any promises that she'll tell me anything." Oliver said.

"All right, well, see you at practice tomorrow." Chuck said as he left Oliver's apartment.

Oliver closed the door and locked it before going in the kitchen to clean up the empty beer bottles. He was exhausted despite the fact that he had done absolutely nothing that day. When he finished cleaning the kitchen he straightened the living room and then went to take a shower.

* * *

Oliver woke up to the sun shining through his window. He groaned and turned over to look at the alarm clock.

"Ugh, it's only five in the morning. I still have another hour until I have to be up." Oliver groaned as he pulled the blankets over his head. "I guess I could get some extra practice in before everyone else gets to the pitch." He said getting out of bed and hitting the 'off' button on the top of the alarm clock.

He ate breakfast, got dressed, and packed his practice bag within an hour and headed out the door. He reached the quidditch pitch an hour before everyone else was scheduled to arrive. He went into the changing room and switched to his practice robes.

Oliver stood in the middle of the pitch, broom in hand, feeling the cold morning air brush against his face. He opened his eyes and kicked off the ground. He flew high into the air feeling the air become colder and whip against his body. He did a few laps around the pitch before bewitching a quaffle and commencing his trials.

Before he knew it, an hour had passed and his teammates began arriving. He saw Michelle arrive first; Oliver saw this as a prime time to talk to Michelle about Chelsea. He landed and walked toward her.

"Good morning, Michelle!" He called.

She looked startled but greeted him with a smile. "Good morning, Oliver. How are you today?"

"I'm all right. Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, go ahead." She said facing him waiting for the question.

"Is Chelsea all right? She's been really quiet lately and I saw that she was sitting in the stands during our last practice." Oliver noted.

Michelle sighed. "Come here." She said pulling him toward the changing rooms. "Okay, you have to understand that you cannot tell anyone! Chelsea hasn't even been able to tell Chuck; she's afraid of how he'll react."

"What's going on?" Oliver asked.

"Chelsea is pregnant." Michelle said.

"Is it Chuck's?"

"Yes, but she doesn't know how to tell him."

"Well, Chuck came to me yesterday. He's really worried about her." Oliver confessed.

Michelle punched him in the arm. "You were getting information for Chuck?"

"Yes, but you have to know what he told me."

"Fine, what did Chuck tell you?" Michelle asked annoyed.

"Chuck was going to propose to Chelsea, but he second guessed himself when she became distant; obviously that was when she found out she was pregnant." Oliver told Michelle.

"Are you serious? Damn, this is one messed up situation." Michelle put her hands on her hips. "Do you think we should intervene?"

"I don't think it would be a bad idea. I could tell Chuck what you just told me and you could tell Chelsea what I told you." Oliver suggested.

"All right, that sounds good. Now get out on the pitch!" Michelle told him.

Oliver smiled and left the changing room. He saw the rest of the team gathered on the pitch already in their practice robes. He saw Chuck standing at the bottom of the stands watching Chelsea who was sitting a few rows up staring straight ahead.

"Hey Chuck!" Oliver called. The man looked over and Oliver beckoned him over.

"Did you talk to Michelle?" he asked nervously.

"Yeah, and I don't know if I should be the one to tell you. Don't be worried about proposing. She'll say yes and I think once you break the ice with that, she'll tell you why she's been so distant." Oliver told him in a hushed voice.

"Well, then it's a good thing that I keep the engagement ring with me all the time." Chuck took a deep breath and said, "I'll be right back." He walked back toward the stands and began to climb toward Chelsea.

Oliver watched as Chuck hesitantly got Chelsea's attention. He didn't know what they were saying, but he could tell Chelsea was being cautious. Chuck said something and Chelsea nodded. Oliver watched Chuck get down on one knee and propose to her. The entire time had gathered to watch what was going on; Michelle stood next to Oliver. They saw Chelsea give a wide smile and nod vigorously before diving into Chuck's arms. Chelsea pulled away and her face became straight. She started to talk and Oliver saw Chuck nodding. Chelsea had grown pale as she told Chuck she was pregnant. Oliver and Michelle held their breath as they waited for Chuck's reaction. Chuck's hand shot out and pulled Chelsea's face toward his in a fierce kiss.

Chuck stood up suddenly and threw his arms above his head yelling, "I'm going to be a father! And a married man!"

The entire team broke out into a cheer yelling congratulations and clapping for the couple.

"Well, now that we're settled, let's get to practicing!" Michelle yelled at her team.

* * *

Practice had been long and brutal. Michelle had made the entire team work on core basics and team work. Puddlemere United had lost their last two games due to miscommunication between team members and shoddy playing.

Oliver walked into his dark apartment and flipped on the light. Nothing had changed since he had left, save for the piece of parchment laying on the coffee table in the living room. He noted that it was there, but was too tired to see what it was. He threw his quidditch things in the hall closet and went into the bathroom to clean up and get ready for bed. When he was done getting comfortable, he went into the living room and picked up the letter.

Oliver noticed Lacey's handwriting at once. He ripped the seal on the envelope and pulled the parchment out.

_Oliver,_

_I've just arrived at my apartment. My trip back home was very eventful and comforting. I hope you didn't miss me too much while I was away. I can't wait to see you. Would you like to go to dinner with me this Saturday night?_

_Sincerely,_

_Lacey_

"Such a short letter." Oliver muttered to himself. He grabbed a spare piece of parchment from his desk and a quill and bottle of ink. He began to write out his answer.

_Lacey,_

_I'm happy to hear that you're home and that your trip went well. I'd love to here more about your trip home when we meet. Saturday sounds good. I'll pick you up at 7pm and we'll decide where we want to eat then. _

_See you soon,_

_Oliver_

Oliver folded the paper quickly and placed it in an envelope he pulled from his desk. He scrawled Lacey's name on the envelope and placed the packed letter on the coffee table.

"I'll send it in the morning." He said to himself. He stood up and stretched feeling his spine pop in various places.

Oliver dragged himself to his bedroom. His feet felt heavy, his legs not wanting to cooperate. He pulled back the blue sheets and heavy blue comforter and slid into bed. He was asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's Note:** Warning: This chapter contains strong language, and moderate adult themes.

* * *

Chapter 11

Oliver woke up feeling refreshed and ready for another day of quidditch practice. He slid out of bed and stretched feeling his joints pop and his back crack in several places. He walked into the kitchen to find something to eat and saw his letter sitting on the table.

"Oh, I forgot about that." He muttered to himself.

He pushed the letter from his mind and turned to the fridge. He opened the door and found that there wasn't much of a selection. There were a few eggs, a nearly empty carton of milk, an apple, some kippers, and a case of beer.

"Well, I guess I have to go to the market after practice today." Oliver said grabbing the last few eggs from the box and a few kippers.

Oliver cracked the eggs in a bowl and whisked them before adding what was left of the milk and adding some salt and pepper. He pulled two small frying pans from the cabinet closest to the stove and put them on top of the burners. He heated both of the pans at the same time and poured the egg batter into one and fried the kippers in the other. In a matter of minutes, his breakfast was fully cooked and he put it on a plate to begin eating.

He put his dirty plate in the sink before going back to his bedroom to get changed for practice. He grabbed his quidditch bag and the letter on the kitchen table before leaving his apartment. He went to the wizard post office to send his letter to Lacey. He paid for a small brown owl for local deliveries and tied the letter to its leg. The little owl hooted before flapping its wings and taking flight.

"Now that that's done…time for some quidditch. The best sport ever invented!" Oliver said as he left the post office.

Oliver apparated to the quidditch pitch and saw that a few of his teammates were already getting some extra practice in before the real practice began. As he walked closer to the pitch, he saw that it was Michael and Brian practicing. Oliver really didn't like Brian; he was selfish, full of himself, condescending, and worst of all, a womanizer.

Michael landed near Oliver to greet him.

"Morning, Oliver. How are you today? I heard your lady friend from the Tornados is back in town. Getting serious between the two of you yet?" Michael said making Oliver feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Eh, yeah, Lacey's back in town. And there's nothing serious about our relationship; we go out on a date every now and then." Oliver said trying to avoid the subject.

"We've got that big game coming up against the Wigtown Wanderers. We'll need you to be on back up if anything happens to Brian during the course of the game." Michael said.

"What are you going on about Michael? Do you really think those Scottish pricks can knock me off my broom? No offense, Wood. Come on, it takes move than a little shoving to take me out of a game." Brian said butting his way into the conversation.

"I'd be careful of what you say around Scots, Court. We take much pride in who we are. If you start talking trash on the pitch during that game, they'll make sure you won't be able to play for weeks." Oliver defended feeling heat crawling up his neck.

"Touchy, touchy." Brian said in an annoyed voice. "I thought you were all about winning, Wood, but I guess that's not so."

"I like to win, yes, but when you start being racist, I'm out." Oliver said trying to drop the subject.

"Hey, hey, guys, why don't we just get ready for practice. Michelle should be here soon." Michael said stepping between the two before a fist fight broke out.

"Ah, Michelle, now there's a woman on top. I wouldn't mind her being on top, if you know what I mean." Brian said with a wink toward Michael and Oliver.

"You're such a prick." Oliver said under his breath as he walked toward the changing rooms.

"I don't appreciate that kind of talk, Brian." Michael said.

"Sure, sure, I'll keep it to a minimum." Brian said walking past him.

* * *

Practice was filled with tension and determination. Oliver was not in a good mood after his squabble with Brian; he could tell Michael wasn't too pleased right now either. Michelle was having everyone on the team play each position so they were completely covered if anything happened during the game against the Wanderers. Brian had refused to play as seeker claiming it was the easiest position on the team and he didn't want to waste his talent on such a lowly position. At this comment, Karen was being held back by Chuck and Scott so she wouldn't beat him to a pulp. Karen got her revenge soon enough; while she was playing beater, she hit a bludger at Brian's back, knocking him off his broom while he wasn't in control of the quaffle. She defended herself by claiming that she thought the saw the quaffle tucked under his arm.

Oliver had never wanted quidditch practice to end so soon, but today was just too much. Brian, if possible, was worse now than he was before his bout of Vanishing Sickness; he was raunchier, even more condescending, and even more self-righteous. Oliver could tell he wasn't the only one who wanted practice to end soon; Karen was still fuming over Brian's condescending comment about seekers, and Chuck was inches away from punching Brian.

After the first set of drills where everyone played their usual positions, Brian had inquired why Chelsea wasn't on the pitch. Michelle then had to inform him of Chelsea's situation in hushed tones.

"Well, can't she still do drills?" Brian asked as if he knew what was best.

"Bludgers are dangerous magical objects; we can't have her getting hurt." Michelle reasoned.

"Fine, what ever you say, _Captain_." Brian said pompously.

Michelle suppressed her aggravation before yelling, "All right, everyone switch positions!"

Finally, after another hour, practice was over. They were all breathing heavily, except for Brian who hadn't exerted much effort in the positions that were not keeper. Michelle gave a quick overview of when they would meet tomorrow before the game, and what she wanted to work on. Once she finished, the team went to the changing rooms. Oliver didn't even look at anyone on the team; he just wanted to get changed and leave as quickly as possible.

"So, are you going to let Chelsea keep it?" Brian asked Chuck.

"Keep what?" Chuck asked not knowing if he wanted to hear the answer.

"The runt she's carrying. I can't believe you knocked her up. If it was me, I would tell her to get rid of it." Brian said.

Chuck was visibly shaking at Brian's words; his fists were clenched and his face was red.

"I mean, I wouldn't want to have to take care of some runt and a helpless girlfriend during the quidditch season." Brian said. He turned to look at Chuck, but was stopped when Chuck's fist collided with his face.

Before anyone could stop him, Chuck was on top of Brian punching him repeatedly. No one was in a hurry to end the fight, until Michelle cast a shield charm between the two men.

"Hey! There will be no disorderly conduct on my team! Chuck, calm yourself down. Brian, shut that disgusting mouth of yours. I don't want to hear another sound come out of your mouth." Michelle yelled furious.

"Listen jackass, Chelsea is a good woman and I'm proud to know that I'm going to be a father. I know you've got your own opinions, but keep your self-righteous bullshit to yourself." Chuck said venom sinking into his words. Michelle released the spell and Chuck grabbed his things, leaving the changing rooms in a hurry.

Oliver finished changing and threw all of his things into his bag haphazardly. He left in a hurry, not wanting to deal with all of this tension. He apparated the moment he was off the premises and walked quickly to his apartment. He walked into his apartment and threw his bag on the floor next to the couch. He made his way to the bathroom to shower and checked the kitchen table to see if Lacey had sent a letter; she hadn't and he was disappointed.

_I would give anything to have a decent conversation with Lacey. I just need to get my mind off of today's practice._ Oliver thought as he stepped into the shower under the torrent of hot water. The heat and pressure of the water relaxed his muscles and helped him wash today's practice from his mind.

Fifteen minutes later, Oliver stepped out of the shower and dried himself off. He went to his bedroom to get dressed. When he came out of his bedroom, he saw a letter from Lacey sitting on the kitchen table. He opened it hastily and began to read.

_Oliver,_

_Saturday may not work for me. Are you free on Friday? I don't have practice or a game; it works out well. I can't wait to see you again. It's been too long. After being home for a couple of weeks, I've been having to readjust to living in London. _

_See you soon,_

_Lacey_

Oliver had been hoping for a longer letter, but was happy she wrote back. He went to his desk to get some parchment, a quill, and some ink. It was Tuesday, and he didn't think he could wait until Saturday to see her.

_Lacey,_

_Friday is fine; I have practice during the day, but my evening is open. Practice was really stressful today and I was wondering if you would be opposed to coming over tonight. I just really need to talk to someone._

_Sincerely,_

_Oliver_

Oliver heard a soft hooting coming from the kitchen. He stood up and went to check it out. He was greeted by a little owl perched on the kitchen table. He recognized it as lacey's owl.

"Hello, there." Oliver said to the owl. The little owl hooted in response. "Could you take this to Lacey for me?" Oliver asked. The owl hopped toward Oliver and stuck its leg out so he could attach the letter. Before the owl could bother Oliver, he gave it a treat. Satisfied, the owl flapped its wings and flew out the window.

Oliver got himself a beer and went into the living room. He turned on the television to pass the time while he waited for Lacey's response. He was trying to relax, but he was just too wound up from practice.

A few minutes later Oliver heard a knock at his door. He waited a moment before getting up to answer it. Without looking through the peephole, he opened the door to see Lacey standing in front of him.

"Hi, Oliver." Lacey said as she reached forward to hug him.

Oliver hesitated before wrapping his arms around her. "Hello, Lacey." Oliver whispered.

Lacey pulled back and walked into Oliver's apartment.

"I decided that it would be a waste of time to write that I was coming over, so I decided to just come over." Lacey explained. "So your day was really bad, huh?"

"It was very stressful, yes. I can't stand Brian Court." Oliver said as he closed the door.

"Is he really that bad? He is your teammate." Lacey asked.

"He's a prick; a condescending bastard; politically incorrect." Oliver told her feeling himself getting hot just talking about the man.

"Do you just want to talk about your day? Get it all out." Lacey suggested.

"I wanted to just talk, but now that you're here, all I want is to be with you right now. Tell me about your trip home; it will take my mind off of today's practice." Oliver told her before giving her a short kiss on the lips.

Lacey blushed. "Okay, well, my trip was very nice. I didn't realize how much I missed my family until I went home. I traveled quite a bit while I was home."

"What do you mean?" Oliver asked beginning to calm down.

"I have family all across the country. Most of my family lives in Illinois, but I also have family in Texas and California." Lacey told him. Oliver noticed that she seemed nervous.

"What's wrong? You seem like something is bothering you." Oliver noted.

Lacey shook her head. "No, nothing's wrong. I'm fine, I just miss home a lot more now that I was just there, if that makes any sense."

Oliver slipped his hand behind her head and played with her hair at the base of her neck. He nodded letting her know that he understood what she was feeling. He leaned in and pressed his lips against hers; she was unresponsive at first, but she relaxed quickly and kissed him back. He moved his other hand to the top of her thigh and stroked her leg with his thumb. All he wanted was to be with her right now. Oliver moved his hand that was on her neck down to her shoulder and began to lightly rub her collar bone. Lacey made a small contented noise against his lips. Oliver felt Lacey move her hands to his chest. At first he thought she was going to push him away, but instead she stroked his chest.

Oliver decided to take it up a notch; he ran his tongue over Lacey's lips. She opened her mouth to him and Oliver slipped his tongue in. Lacey moaned into his mouth when he ran his hand down her side. They pulled away to breathe, but their lips met again seconds later. Oliver slipped his hand under Lacey's shirt and rubbed his thumb across her stomach. He felt Lacey breathe deeply through her nose before sliding her hands down his chest and across his stomach. Oliver shivered when he felt her soft hands slide under his shirt.

Oliver slipped his hand farther up Lacey's shirt, grazing the underside of her bra. Lacey moaned again and he took it as incentive to take it even farther. Oliver shifted his weight and moved his right leg onto the couch; he lightly pushed Lacey onto her back. They pulled away again to breathe and Lacey looked up at him with hazy eyes. They were both breathing heavily. Instead of returning his lips to hers, Oliver placed his lips on her neck. Oliver felt Lacey shift her weight so she was positioned fully under him. He moved his hand from her thigh and slid it up her body to her back. His hands met behind her back and he began to unclasp her bra. Lacey slipped the straps down her shoulders and pulled the bra out from under her shirt.

Oliver smiled at her and asked, "Would you like for me to continue?"

Lacey blushed and nodded. She slipped her hands higher up his shirt before beginning to pull it over his head. Oliver pulled back and pulled the shirt over his head; he threw it on the floor. Oliver bent down again and resumed kissing her neck. He slipped his hand under her shirt again; his hand lightly touched the underside of her breast before completely engulfing it with his hand.

Lacey gasped, "Oh, Oliver!"

The only response Oliver could make was to moan against her neck. Her hands were rubbing his chest and stomach.

"Your hands are very soft for being a quidditch player." Oliver commented.

"So are yours." Lacey said.

From where his hand was currently placed, Oliver could feel her heart beating. He looked at her face and felt her heart rate pick up and her cheeks flush.

"What?" he asked.

"I…I think I love you." Lacey whispered.

Oliver didn't know how to respond to that. He removed his hands and pulled back from her.

"I'm sorry." Lacey apologized sitting up quickly. "I should go." Oliver noticed she looked hurt and embarrassed.

Lacey stood up and began to pick up her things. As she walked past him, Oliver raised his hand and lightly wrapped it around her wrist.

"No, I want you to stay." Oliver said softly to her. She sat down next to him and pressed her face into his bare chest. Oliver smiled and hugged her to him. "Would you like to spend the night?"

Lacey pulled away and looked toward the window behind her. It was then that both of them noticed it was raining.

"Yes, I'll spend the night." She said before placing her head on his shoulder.

Oliver kissed the top of her head. "So, you think you love me?"

"I've never felt this way about someone before. I feel like I can be myself around you and you never make me feel uncomfortable. I love being around you and you know how to have a decent intellectual conversation." She moved her head and kissed him on the lips. "I'm falling in love with you."

Oliver smiled. "If it makes you feel better, I've never felt this way about anyone before you. I find myself thinking about you all the time and I feel very relaxed when I'm with you." Oliver kissed her lips and she grinned at him. "Hey, I'm going to see my parents for a family dinner this weekend. Would you like to come with me and meet my parents and my sister?"

Lacey was quiet for a few moments while she made up her mind. "All right, I'll go with you. I'm not going to lie; I've been dreading this conversation."

"Really? You'll come with me and meet my family?" Oliver was surprised.

"Yes, I want to meet your family." She kissed him again.

"So, now that that's settled, what do you want to do the rest of the night?" Oliver asked.

"I don't think I'm quite ready to take our relationship further than it was going a few minutes ago." Lacey admitted blushing.

"I won't force you. Do you want to watch a movie?"

"Okay. You choose, I don't mind." Lacey relaxed next to him.

Oliver chose a comedy. He started the movie and turned off the lights in the living room. He sat down on the couch and placed his arm around Lacey. She leaned into him.

They sat comfortably together before falling asleep half-way through the movie.


	12. Chapter 12: Disaster Dinner

Chapter 12: Disaster Dinner

Oliver woke up on Sunday morning to the sun shining in through his bedroom window. He stretched and got out of bed to begin his morning routine. He knew that tonight was going to be tense and possibly even a disaster. Tonight was the night Oliver was going to introduce Lacey to his parents. Lacey was still very quiet when he brought up the subject; he knew she agreed to it, but he also knew she wasn't sure what to expect.

An hour later, Oliver was finished eating and ready to get some chores done around his apartment before going to pick up Lacey. In the middle of washing dishes, an owl swooped into his kitchen. It landed on the table and held out its leg waiting for Oliver to take it. Oliver dried his hands and untied to letter from the owls leg.

"Hello, Missy." Oliver greeted the owl and stroked her back. "I suppose Mum sent you to remind me that I'm supposed to show up for Fae's birthday dinner?"

Missy hooted and ruffled her feathers in response. He unrolled the parchment and began to read.

_Dear Oliver,_

_I just wanted to remind you that tonight is your sister's birthday dinner. Be here at 4 o'clock, dinner is being served at 5. Fae and her husband will be coming at 4 as well, along with the baby. Have you even met your niece yet, Oliver?_

_I'm writing so early because, as usual, I need to know if you are planning on coming alone, or if you will be bringing someone with you. I will see you tonight at 4 o'clock sharp. Don't be late._

_Love,_

_Mum_

"Always about punctuality." Oliver said to himself before getting some parchment to write back.

_Mum,_

_I'll be on the door step at 4 o'clock sharp. Yes, I have met my niece; I was at the hospital just after she was born and Fae came to visit me with her a couple of times in the past six months. I will be bringing a guest with me…shocking, I know. I want you to be nice, and don't ask too many questions. I like this girl and I don't want her leaving because my mother is being too overbearing. I love you, and I'll see you tonight._

_Love,_

_Oliver_

He rolled up the parchment and laid it on the table. Missy stuck out her leg and cocked her head when Oliver didn't attach the letter. Instead, Oliver filled a small dish with water and pulled out a few owl treats for her. He set them down in front of her and she hooted in thanks.

Oliver watched the little black owl fly away with his response attached to her leg. He cleaned up the table and went back to cleaning dishes.

* * *

Oliver stood in front of the mirror straightening his shirt and making sure there was nothing that his mother would criticize. He checked his hair one more time before leaving his apartment, a small wrapped box in his hand; he always gave his sister a small present on her birthday. Oliver wore a long, black wool coat as he walked the two blocks to Lacey's apartment. It had started to snow the day before and continued into today.

Oliver pressed the button next to Lacey's last name and waited for a response.

"Hello?" Kaylee asked.

"Uh, Kaylee? It's Oliver. Can I come up?" He asked.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." She answered and the lock on the front door released.

Oliver went up the stairs and knocked on their apartment door. Kaylee answered looking a little concerned.

"She's nearly had a meltdown. You really need to talk to her." Kaylee said practically pulling him into the apartment.

He went down the hall to her room and knocked on the door. "Lacey? Are you all right?"

He stepped into the room and saw her sitting on the edge of her bed, her face in her hands. There were many clothes strewn around her. He went over to her and knelt down in front of her. He pulled her hands away from her face.

"I can't do this." She whispered to him.

"You can't do what?" He asked nervously.

"I can't meet your parents. I can't, I can't." She said as she started breathing heavily.

"Sweetheart, you'll be fine. I won't leave your side all night. I promise I won't leave you alone with my parents. All right?" Oliver told her, kissing her cheek.

"You promise?" She asked.

"I promise. Now, finish getting ready, and we'll leave."

She nodded and stood up. Oliver turned to leave her room, but was stopped when she put her hand on his arm.

"Will you help me find something to wear?" She asked.

"Do you really want my help?" He asked.

"Yes, I have no idea what to wear." She said motioning to the clothing all over her floor.

Oliver laughed and agreed to help her. She showed him a few of the dresses laying on her floor and a few other outfits hanging in her closet. He helped her decide on a color to narrow down her choices; she decided on a knee length dark blue dress with short sleeves and a square neckline. Something shiny caught Oliver's eye and he stepped over to her dresser. He smiled and picked up the silver diamond necklace. He stepped behind her and clasped it around her neck. She turned around to face him.

"Perfect." Was all he could say as he escorted her out of her room and out of the apartment. Oliver led her to a secluded area where they could disapparate. He held her hand and they left the ground. He felt like his body was being squeezed at intense pressures, but in a moment the feeling was over. He looked ahead and saw the rolling green hills of Scotland.

"Wow." Lacey whispered.

"This… is where I grew up." Oliver motioned to the land.

"It's beautiful." She said smiling at him.

"My parents' house is just over that hill." Oliver said pointing to the west. He held Lacey's hand and led her to the house. He was a bit worried about her reaction. The house came into view and he felt Lacey falter beside him.

She let a deep breath out and her jaw dropped. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I've been through a few bad experiences where women only date me after they find out that I come from a wealthy family." Oliver explained. "I know you're not like that, but I just didn't know how to tell you."

"You grew up in that house?" She asked.

"Yes. Why?" He asked.

"It's beautiful. It's huge!" She exclaimed.

Oliver laughed. "Come on, we'll be late." As promised, Oliver stood on the door step at four o'clock sharp.

He knocked on the door; the sound echoed through the interior of the house. Lacey looked at him nervously just before the door opened. Oliver's father stood there looking annoyed.

"Hello, Dad." Oliver said.

"Hello, Oliver. And who is this?" He asked a friendly smile on his face.

"This is Lacey. She's my girlfriend." Oliver said.

"Well, come in, come in." He smiled and stepped aside.

"Lacey, this is my father, Roger." Oliver introduced.

"It's nice to meet you." Lacey said extending her hand. Oliver's father grasped it and shook her hand quickly. He could tell his father liked her.

"Is Mum already getting on your nerves?" Oliver asked.

"You know how your mother is when Luca is here." He said.

Oliver turned to Lacey. "Luca is my sister's husband. And I don't think I told you, but I have a niece. Her name is Samantha; she's six months old. I'll introduce you to them now, come on."

"Oliver, why don't you give me your coat and the young lady's coat." His father suggested.

Oliver slipped off his coat and helped Lacey take hers off. He handed them to his father and led her to the dining room. Oliver could hear his mother speaking furiously in the kitchen. They stepped into the dining room and Oliver saw his brother-in-law and his niece.

"Oliver, how are you?" Luca said standing up and coming over to shake his hand. Luca turned to Lacey and looked back at Oliver with a quizzical look.

"This is Lacey; she's my girlfriend. Lacey this is my brother-in-law, Luca."

"It's very nice to meet you." Luca said grasping Lacey's hand.

"It's nice to meet you, too." Lacey smiled.

"And this," Oliver said picking up the little girl. "Is my niece Samantha."

The little girl leaned against Oliver while he held her. She had very curly black hair and striking blue eyes. Lacey smiled at Samantha and the baby reached out to her.

"You can hold her if you'd like." Luca said to Lacey.

Lacey took the little girl out of Oliver's arms and smiled at her.

"Hello, Samantha." Lacey said holding the baby's hand between her thumb and index finger. Samantha reached toward Lacey's chest and grabbed onto the neckline of her dress. Oliver watched as Lacey swayed back and forth to comfort Samantha.

Oliver stepped over to Luca.

"Where's Fae?" Oliver asked.

"Having a heated discussion with your mother." Luca responded. "Where is she from?" He asked referring to Lacey.

"She's American. She's plays quidditch." Oliver told him.

"How long have you been together?" Luca asked.

"Since the beginning of September. Are you and Fae still living in Italy?" Oliver asked.

"No, no, we just moved. We're living in Wales now. Fae got a new job; she's working as a curse breaker and charms caster for a wealthy family in Wales. She protects and keeps an inventory of all their valuables. She's getting paid better than her last job, but I can tell she still does not want to stay in one place very long." Luca explained.

"She's always been very flighty. So is that why my mum is having an argument with Fae? Because she got a new job?" Oliver wondered.

"Yes, she's not very happy with the job and she's concerned we will not stay here for very long. But I am determined to keep Fae in one place for a while." He laughed. "That is a challenge."

Just then Fae walked into the dining room looking red in the face. Samantha had inherited her blue eyes from her mother. Fae stopped in her tracks seeing Lacey, an unfamiliar woman, holding her daughter.

Seeing a potential disaster, Oliver stepped in. "Fae, this is Lacey, my girlfriend."

"Oh, that's a relief. It just caught me off guard seeing this woman holding my baby." Fae said with relief.

Lacey stepped over to Fae and held Samantha out to her. Fae took the little girl immediately and smiled at her. "Hi, Peanut." She said before kissing her forehead.

"Lacey, it's very nice to meet you. Oliver never mentioned that he had a girlfriend. So, do you play quidditch?" Fae asked.

"Yes, that's how I met Oliver." Lacey responded.

"Of course it was." Fae said shifting her eyes to her brother.

"How old are you, Lacey?"

"Oh, I'm nineteen." Lacey said looking uncomfortable.

Oliver moved to stand next to Lacey.

"You're very young. You do know Oliver is three years older than you, right?"

"Fae, stop it. You have no right to criticize. Besides, I'd appreciate it if you didn't terrify my date before dinner has even started." Oliver warned his sister.

"Sure, sure. Mum is a raging maniac. We've been here ten minutes and she's already reprimanded me for three different things. Happy birthday to me, right?" Fae said sounding angry and annoyed. She stepped over to Luca and kissed him just before Oliver's mother stepped into the room.

She looked tense, but invigorated. She saw Lacey standing next to him and she smiled.

"Hello, Dear, how are you?" She asked kissing Oliver on the cheek.

"I'm fine, Mum. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine, I'm fine." She said turning her attention to Lacey. "You must be Lacey. Oliver informed me this morning that he'd be bringing you tonight."

"Yes, I'm Lacey." She could only get the one sentence out before his mother hugged her.

"It's so good to meet you, dear." She said to Lacey.

"It's nice to meet you, too." Lacey smiled looking surprised by the hug.

Oliver's mother stepped back and addressed everyone in the room, "We'll be having drinks in the family room." She then immediately turned around and walked out of the dining room.

Oliver squeezed lacey's hand and led her to the family room. Fae and Luca carrying Samantha followed behind them. They stepped into a large rectangular room with cathedral ceilings. There were two long couches facing each other, separated by a long wooden coffee table. Oliver glanced at Lacey and could tell she was trying to hide her awe of the house.

Oliver's mother was already seated on one of the couches with a martini in her hand. His father was standing at the wet bar making himself a drink and waiting for everyone else to tell him what they wanted to drink.

"Oliver, will you be drinking scotch tonight?" His father asked at Oliver sat down next to Lacey on the couch opposite his mother.

"Yes, I would like a scotch, two ice cubes." Oliver replied. "Would you like anything, Lacey?" He asked her quietly.

"Just water is fine." She told him just as quietly.

"Fae, are you drinking tonight?" Oliver's father asked.

"No, just give me a water." Fae said taking Samantha from her husband.

"While you're at it, Dad, get Lacey a water as well." Oliver put in.

"Luca, what can I get you?"

"I'll take a bourbon." Luca said.

Not a few minutes later, Oliver's father walked over to the couches and table and set down a tray of drinks. He passed the two waters to the women, the scotch to Oliver, and two glasses of bourbon to Luca and himself.

"So, Lacey," Oliver's mother started. "Do you play quidditch?"

"Yes," She said sipping her water. "I play for the Tornados."

"Hmm…That's a good team." Oliver's father said. "Of course, Puddlemere United is also a good team."

Oliver smirked and placed his arm along the back of the couch behind Lacey's back.

"Well, I suppose you wouldn't have met Oliver any other way." Oliver's mother said.

Oliver looked at him mother; she had wavy light brown hair and striking blue eyes. Her full lips were upturned to one side in a smirk as she watched her son. Her eyes moved to Lacey and back to Oliver.

"Mother, if you want to say something, just say it." Oliver said.

"Lacey, did you know Oliver came from money?" She asked turning her full attention to the woman sitting next to Oliver.

"No, not at all, I just found out tonight." Lacey told her.

"How old are you dear?"

Lacey faltered; Oliver knew this was something she didn't like to talk about. She hated when people criticized her for dating someone three years older than her. "I'm nineteen." She said.

"You do know that my son is three years older than you, don't you?" Oliver's mother began to criticize.

Lacey pushed her hair behind her ear and bit her lip. Oliver, being so close, heard her take a deep breath through her nose and saw her close her eyes.

"Olivia, don't criticize the poor girl, you've only just met her." Oliver's father, Roger put in. "Besides, you should just be happy any woman has been in a relationship this long with him."

"Thanks, Dad; you make it sound like I have no love life." Oliver said with chagrin in his voice.

"Oh, son, now I know that's not true. But you can't deny that you haven't been in a committed relationship for quite some time." Roger said sipping the glass of bourbon in his hand.

"I happen to find mature men more attractive." Lacey said in a strong voice to Olivia.

Olivia looked surprised at Lacey's sudden answer, but she still answered, "I see, well, then you've picked quite the man. I still don't quite believe that my son is very mature, but I'll let you prove that to me."

"Mum, I'd rather not like to be criticized tonight, either." Oliver told her.

"Mum, when's dinner going to be ready?" Fae asked bouncing Samantha in her lap.

"In about ten minutes, honey." Olivia answered turning her attention to her daughter and granddaughter. "Let me see my beautiful granddaughter." She reached her arms out and took Samantha.

"Oh, Fae, I have something for you." Oliver said reaching his hand into his pant pocket. He pulled out the small wrapped box. He tossed it to his sister. "Happy birthday."

"Oh, Oliver, you know you don't have to get me anything." Fae said unwrapping the small box. She opened the little box and pulled out a silver necklace darned with sapphires and diamonds. "Thank you, Oliver, it's beautiful. You really shouldn't have."

"Don't worry about it; I wanted to get it for you." Oliver told her.

Roger stood up and announced, "Dinner is ready. Let's move back into the dining room and eat."

They all stood and entered the dining room. Oliver pulled out a chair for Lacey and then sat down next to her. He looked at the food set out along the table and began to salivate; rack of lamb on top of a bed of couscous and vegetables cooked in the lamb drippings. He breathed deeply taking in the aroma of the home-cooked meal.

Oliver looked over at Lacey and saw that her face was blank, but her cheeks were lightly flushed. He was about to ask her what was wrong, but she spoke up.

"Where's your bathroom?" She asked.

"Uh…down the hallway, second door on the right." Oliver told her.

"Thank you, please excuse me." She said as she stood up. Oliver watched her walk out of the dining room, and heard the bathroom door shut.

"She's very quiet." Fae said.

"Why is she so awkward? And what accent is she speaking in?" Oliver's mother asked.

"She's American. You have to understand, she's very far from home and I brought her here knowing you'd try to chew her out. I know it sounds cruel, but I want to know if she's serious about staying in a relationship with me." Oliver explained.

"Well, if it's any consolation, I quite like her, Oliver." His father told him.

"Thank you, Dad." Oliver said turning to him.

"Why so young, Oliver?" Fae asked.

"It had nothing to do with age when I met her. I'm just attracted to her."

"When did you meet her? How long have you been together?" His mother asked.

"I met her at the beginning of September and we've been dating ever since."

"I'm surprised; the last time you were in a relationship that lasted this long was the summer after your graduation from Hogwarts." Fae commented.

"Well, Lacey has been taking a while and I don't want her to get lost in this house. So, if you would excuse me, I'll be right back." Oliver stood up and walked down the hallway. He reached the bathroom door and was about knock when he heard sounds from the other side of the door.

He heard Lacey sniffling and heard her talking quietly to herself. He knocked on the door.

"Lacey, are you all right?" He asked.

He had obviously startled her because he heard her shuffling. "Yeah, I'm fine." She said and opened the door.

Oliver took one look at her and knew the night had turned into a disaster. Her eyes were light red and her mascara was slightly smeared.

"What's wrong, Sweetheart?" Oliver asked wrapping his arms around her.

"I'm sorry." She said burying her face in his chest. She was shaking as she held back tears. Oliver didn't know how to consol her, so he just rubbed her back and kissed the top of her head.

"Are you going to be okay?" He asked her.

She nodded her head and pulled away from his chest. "I'm sorry, but I can't eat the food your mother made."

"Why? What's wrong with it?" He asked her.

"I can't eat without thinking of cute baby lambs. I feel horrible; I don't want to be rude, but I know I won't be able to eat." She said with tears in her eyes.

"That's what is bothering you?" Oliver asked.

She nodded, "It's ridiculous, I know."

"You'll be all right; you don't have to eat it if you don't want to." Oliver told her reassuringly. "We should probably head back to the table."

"Okay." Lacey nodded.

They walked down the hallway together and when they were about to enter the dining room, they heard Fae having a heated conversation with her mother.

"Why are you acting this way? Oliver really likes this girl." Fae asked.

"Well, for one, she's American. She doesn't come from money; she's just trying to get money out of our family. Not to mention, she's not a pure blood." Olivia told her condescendingly.

"How can you say that so easily? What happened to the woman who believed in marrying for love and not worried about what others would think of her? Why have you never been happy for me when I married for love? Why can't you be happy for Oliver?" Fae shot back.

"Yes, I married your father for love, but I learned the values of his family. And I am happy for you."

"No you're not. You barely speak to Luca, let alone acknowledge that he's in the room." Fae's voice was getting louder.

"Honey, we really shouldn't-" Luca began.

"Stop it! I've wanted to say this for so long now. I can't acknowledge you as my mother until you accept that I married the man I love; despite the fact that he doesn't have a lot of money and that he's Italian. I won't speak to you again until I get an apology; you have no right to criticize how I live my life when I'm not doing anything wrong!" Fae yelled.

Samantha started crying because of all the yelling. Luca picked her up and tried to comfort her. Oliver and Lacey walked into the dining room and everyone looked up. Lacey was pale and she had tears in her eyes.

"Do you really believe that I'm only dating your son so I can get money out of him? Do you really believe that I'm the American stereotype? Sure, I may be arrogant at times, but at least I'm not so ethnocentric and condescending." Lacey spoke.

"Yes, I do believe that." Oliver's mother said to Lacey. "And _you_ will not be getting an apology. I don't see why I have to; I am your mother and that's all the reason I need to keep acting the way I am."

"Fine, if that's how it's going to be…" Fae said pushing her chair out and standing up. "Come on, Luca, we're leaving." Luca stood up silently carrying the still whimpering, Samantha.

"Mother, I will not stand here, while you attack me and my girlfriend; we're leaving, too." Oliver said directing Lacey and himself toward the door, following his sister.

Oliver grabbed their coats and helped Lacey put hers on before he put his coat on. He watched his sister who was seconds from losing her composure. When everyone had their coats on, Oliver opened the door, so they could leave.

"Oliver, Fae, wait!" Oliver's father yelled as he hurried toward them.

"Have you come to defend that monster?" Fae spit out.

"Fae, I'm sorry things ended like this. Oliver, she's just concerned about you." He told them.

"Concerned about me? I'm finally happy; I've finally found a woman I like, and it makes her unhappy. Tell me how that's fair." Oliver was very angry. His jaw was clenched and his face felt hot as he spoke to his father.

His father nodded. "Lacey, I'm sorry that your visit put you in an uncomfortable situation."

Lacey didn't say anything; she just squeezed Oliver's hand and leaned into him.

"Fae, happy birthday. I'm sorry it turned out this way." He said hugging his daughter.

"Dad, it's not going to work this time. I'm not talking to her for good; not until I get an apology." Fae said pulling away from him. "Goodbye, Dad."

With the conclusion of the awkward exchange, they all stepped out of the mansion and began to walk away together. Oliver let go of Lacey's hand and wrapped his arm around her instead.

"I'm sorry." Lacey spoke. "This is all my fault."

"Oh, don't worry about it. It's not your fault. I've been wanting to say that to my mother for a long time. Besides, we were looking for any reason to cut the night short." Fae told her.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm starving." Luca said.

"Fae, let's go out for your birthday dinner." Oliver suggested.

"Are you sure?" She asked adjusting Samantha in her arms.

"Positive. Anywhere you want to go. You choose." Oliver told her.

Fae gave Oliver a knowing smile. "You know the place I like." She said.

"Well, that makes it easy, since it's close." He said. "All right, Farley's Pub it is."

They followed the road they were on, traveling less than a kilometer to the center of town. The pub wasn't quite full yet, as it was only five thirty. They got a table easily and started to converse lightly, the disaster of the previous dinner still on their minds.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

"I'm so sorry." Lacey apologized again. "I didn't mean to come between you and your family, Oliver."

Oliver was barely listening to her, though. Lacey had been apologizing all night, and no matter what he said she still believed the night was a disaster because of her. They were currently standing in his apartment; Lacey didn't want to go home just yet.

"Sweetheart," Oliver groaned, "It's all right. It would have happened anyway. There's no use crying over spilled potion."

Lacey sighed and leaned into Oliver's chest. Oliver wrapped his arms around her and smiled to himself. In his mind, tonight had been a success. He realized that Lacey wanted to be with him for him; not his fame, or his money, or his family.

"You're right, I shouldn't dwell on it." Lacey finally said. There was a long strain of silence, and then, "But I feel so bad about it."

"Lacey, stop it. My mother is different than she used to be; even Fae knows that." Oliver was finally annoyed by her constant apologizing. "Things will get better, I promise."

Lacey nodded and leaned in for another hug. Oliver kissed the top of her head and began to rub her back. He noticed that her breathing was calmer now. He slid on hand lower on her back; his fingers were tracing the shape of her hip. She leaned back to look at him; Oliver was worried she was going to be angry that he was trying to cop a feel. Instead, though, she reached up and kissed him on the lips. Oliver was surprised at first, but leaned into the kiss quickly after. He felt her hands on his chest; he had never realized how good that felt until now. And finally, his hand reached its destination and began to massage her bottom. She groaned into his mouth; the sound was intoxicating. He wanted to hear her make more of those sounds.

Oliver pulled his lips away from hers and moved them to her throat. Her breathing had become heavy, and he was waiting for her to stop him any moment now. But she didn't stop him. He noticed that her hands weren't rubbing his chest anymore; instead they were beginning to unbutton his dress shirt. He didn't question it. Oliver's other hand moved down Lacey's back to join the other one on her bottom. She gasped at the feeling and arched her back into him. Lacey removed his shirt from his shoulders and he shrugged the rest of it off. Her soft hands were now caressing his bare chest; Oliver let out a deep breath and moved his lips back to hers.

He pulled back to take a breath, and he looked at Lacey's face. Her cheeks were rosy and her lips were swollen.

"Are you sure about this?" He asked her.

"Uh huh." She answered breathily. "I love you."

Oliver smiled, "I love you, too." He said huskily.

Lacey smiled one of the biggest smiles he'd ever seen on her face. He leaned down again and captured her lips. She kissed him with more fervor. Oliver's eyes widened when he felt her hands tugging at his belt buckle. He pulled away and stared at her; she just gave him a seductive look that said it all. He made a sound, similar to a growl and picked her up so her legs were wrapped around his waist. He carried her to his bedroom, where they spent to rest of the night.

Oliver stirred and woke up feeling groggy. He turned on his side, his eyes still closed, and flung his arm over where it made contact with something solid. Oliver's eyes flew open. There was Lacey, laying in his bed with her back to him, sleeping soundly. And from the looks of it she wasn't wearing anything. Then he remembered exactly what had happened the night before. He blushed when he thought of a few of the things that had happened between his sheets last night.

Lacey stirred and groaned. Oliver heard her take a deep breath and roll over to face him. He opened his eyes again and saw her looking at him.

"Good morning." Lacey smiled and slid her fingers through his short hair.

"Good morning, Beautiful." Oliver answered before giving her a sweet kiss on the lips. Lacey blushed deeply and unconsciously pulled the covers around her body tighter.

Oliver swept a few loose strands of hair out of Lacey's face. He smiled at her again.

_I've never felt this way about anyone. This is the happiest I've since I was accepted to Puddlemere United's Reserve Team._

"Oliver, did you hear me?" Lacey asked as Oliver focused again.

"I'm sorry, what?" He asked.

Lacey giggled. "I said, how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine; wonderful actually." Oliver said smiling. "You know, for not having any experience, you were very good last night."

Lacey's face turned a bright shade of red, her mouth was opening and closing, but no sound came out. Oliver laughed deeply. Lacey made to get out of bed, but changed her mind when she realized she still wasn't wearing anything.

"So…" Oliver started. He looked sideways and saw Lacey laying on her back staring at the ceiling. "How was your first time?"

He saw her give a soft smile, still staring at the ceiling. She turned to face him and grinned.

"It was fine." She said smirking. "Although, I don't think I would have liked it as much if I were with anyone else."

"Good." Oliver answered. "I wanted to make it memorable for you." Oliver rubber the tip of his nose against hers and kissed her lips.

"Well, good news, it was very memorable." Lacey smiled. He hand slid across the sheets and landed on his broad, muscled chest. Her fingers lightly stroked his chest and then moved down to stroke the skin of his stomach.

Oliver's breathing had become inconsistent as he wished for her hand to keep moving. He closed his eyes and let out a long breath. He heard Lacey snicker and his eyes opened. She was biting her lower lip as she watched his reaction.

"How do you do that?" He asked her huskily.

"How do I do what?" She asked seductively.

"How do you make me feel this way?" Oliver asked before kissing her again.

"You know…" Lacey started, "I don't have practice today, or a game. And I know you don't have practice today either. So…what do you say to spending the rest of the day in bed?"

"I'd say that's a wonderful idea." Oliver grinned before pulling her onto his chest and kissing her deeply.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Oliver was rushing around his apartment; he was running very late. He was supposed to meet Lacey at her apartment fifteen minutes ago for a date, but he had gotten home late from practice. They had been seeing each other more often after the first night they slept together.

Oliver grabbed his wallet and ran out of his apartment. He apparated almost immediately when he left the building. He walked the rest of the way to Lacey's apartment building. He pressed the small button next to Lacey and Kaylee's last names.

"Who is it?" Kaylee asked in a strained voice.

"Hey Kaylee, it's Oliver. Can I come up?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah." She said before allowing Oliver to come into the building.

As Oliver walked up the stairs he had a bad feeling. The way Kaylee had spoken to him made him believe that something wasn't right. He knocked on the door and Kaylee answered.

"Hey, come on in Oliver." Kaylee said in a very quiet voice.

As Oliver passed her, he saw her face. Her eyes were puffy and red and she sounded like she was having hard time breathing.

"Is everything okay?" Oliver asked after Kaylee closed the door. All she could do was shake her head 'no.'

After Kaylee composed herself again, she said, "Lacey's in her room. You should really go talk to her."

Oliver hesitantly made his way to the back of the apartment where Lacey's room was located. He was about to knock on her bedroom door when he heard Lacey's voice.

"I know, I know. It's just a bad situation all around. I wish I didn't have to deal with it." Lacey was saying to someone Oliver couldn't hear. "Listen, Mom, I have to go. I'll talk to you later. Okay…I love you, too. Bye."

It was then that Oliver knocked on the door. He heard Lacey shuffling around her room before she opened the door. The door opened and when Lacey saw Oliver, there was no excitement in her eyes. She stepped aside, silently telling Oliver to come inside. Oliver stepped past her and saw that her room looked different since the last time he had seen it; it looked emptier.

Lacey was avoiding eye contact with Oliver. She grabbed his hand and sat down on her bed. Oliver followed suit and sat down next to her.

"How are you, Sweetheart?" Oliver asked her.

Lacey shook her head and swallowed hard. "We need to talk about something, Oliver. It's really important."

_Oh, no. What happened? What did I do? Is she breaking up with me?_ Oliver thought. He looked down at her and saw that she had let go of his hand and had her arms wrapped around her stomach. _Oh dear Merlin, she's not pregnant is she?_

"Okay." Oliver answered trying to stay calm. "What's this about?"

"It's just…" She paused, obviously thinking about how she wanted to say this. "Things are going to be changing…rapidly. And I needed to tell you right soon."

Oliver swallowed and could feel himself panicking. "Lacey, can I just say something?"

"Um…okay." Lacey said taking a breath.

"I just want to tell you that what ever happens, I'm here for you. I'll be by your side as much as you want me to be." Oliver told her holding her hand again.

He looked at her face again and she was looking at him very confused. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it again.

"Oliver, what do you think this is about?" Lacey asked in a firm voice. She looked up at him, waiting for his answer.

"Um…" Oliver paused. "Well, you're…aren't you pregnant?" He asked whispering the last word like it was a curse.

Lacey's eyes grew wide as she stared at him. Then she started laughing. She was laughing so hard that she fell backward onto the bed.

"Then, you're not pregnant?" Oliver asked slowly.

Lacey sat up. "No, no, I'm not." She was still chuckling as she watched him. "What gave you that idea?"

"Uh, well…" Oliver started. "You sounded like you were about to tell me that. And you were wrapping your arms around you stomach. It was stupid."

"Oh, no, honey, it wasn't stupid." Lacey placed her hand on his face and smiled softly at him. "But, no, I'm not pregnant. This is about something completely different."

Oliver watched as she became very mellow again and the smile in her eyes faded.

"What's going on?" Oliver asked becoming impatient.

Lacey pulled a folded up piece of parchment from the top of her dresser and waved it in front of him. "This is what I wanted to talk about." Lacey became choked up as she unfolded it. "I had to go to the Ministry of Magic today."

"What? Why?" Oliver asked confused.

"You know things are getting bad and they want to get rid of muggle-borns. Because I'm technically living here, I had to prove that I'm a witch." She told him. "I was able to prove it. I had my genealogy with me."

"Then what's the problem?" Oliver was worried now, but still confused.

"Well, because I wasn't born here and the Ministry is so corrupt now…" Lacey cut off trying to control her emotions again.

"Sweetheart, what happened?" Oliver asked holding her face in his hands.

"Oliver…" Lacey began with tears falling from her large brown eyes. "I'm being deported back to America." She finally broke down and hid her face in Oliver's chest.

Oliver couldn't speak; he didn't even think of anything like that happening. He wrapped his arms around her as she cried. He stayed quiet trying to keep his composure.

Oliver cleared his throat. "When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow." Lacey said, although it was muffled as she said it against his chest.

Oliver hugged her tighter. "I don't understand."

Lacey pulled away from his chest. "They wanted to get me out of here as soon as possible. And it wasn't for my safety; they told me they don't want American scum tainting their new regime. It was awful. They paid for my airfare and told me to get out and that they'd check to see that I was on the plane tomorrow afternoon."

"When will I see you again?" Oliver asked reluctantly.

"I don't know. I don't think I'll be allowed in the country again. At least, not until the death eaters are gone." Lacey said wiping the tears from her face.

Oliver nodded, not able to talk. He continued to rub her back and hold her to his chest.

"Do you mind if we stay here tonight?" Lacey asked. "I don't really feel like going out and I want to spend all my remaining time with you."

"Of course. I don't feel like going out tonight anymore, either." Oliver said kissing her forehead.

They were silent for a few minutes, just taking pleasure in each other's company. They laid down on Lacey's bed together. Oliver still had his arms around her and every once in while, he kissed her. Oliver could hear Lacey, crying silently. Eventually, she calmed down enough to speak again.

"Are you hungry?" She asked her voice raspy.

"Actually, yeah, I am hungry." Oliver said sitting up with her.

"I could make something." She said.

"Okay, that sounds good." He said. They stood up and left Lacey's bedroom to go to the kitchen.

Kaylee had left the apartment not long after Oliver had come over. They had the apartment to themselves for the rest of the night. They ate a small dinner Lacey made and just enjoyed each other's company for the rest of the night.

In the morning, Lacey had everything packed and sitting at the front door. Oliver sat on the couch not believing that the woman he had fallen in love with was leaving. Lacey was crying again as she hugged Kaylee for the last time.

"I'm going to miss you so much." Lacey cried.

"I'm going to miss you, too. You'll write to me all the time, right?" Kaylee asked tears running down her face.

"Of course, I'll write to you. Now, I really have to go." Lacey said stepping away from her roommate, captain, and best friend.

Oliver stood up and walked over to Lacey. He wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head.

"Ready?" Oliver asked in a quiet voice.

"Yeah." Lacey answered sniffling.

They carried Lacey's suitcases down the stairs and out the door. The couple apparated to the airport and checked Lacey in for her flight. Then, Oliver walked Lacey to the security line.

"I don't want to say goodbye." Lacey said getting choked up.

"I'll promise you something." Oliver started. "The moment all of this is over, with You Know Who and the death eaters, I'll come find you."

"I'll be waiting for you." Lacey whispered leaning her forehead against his.

Oliver kissed her deeply and pulled her into a tight hug. Lacey pulled away and then leaned against his chest.

"I have to go, Oliver." Lacey said crying again.

"Write to me as soon as you get home." Oliver told her.

"I will." She said kissing him again.

She pulled away and walked through the security line. She waved to him, tears still leaking from her eyes. And for hopefully the only time, Oliver watched the love of his life walk away from him.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

It had been three months since Oliver had last seen Lacey. England was in the middle of its spring season, but it all seemed so dull to Oliver. Puddlemere United was in the heat of their season and doing spectacularly well. They had only lost four games this season and were on a ten game winning streak at the moment. Today was their first game in April and they were playing the Ballycastle Bats.

Oliver had a couple hours until the match started. In the meantime he was spending some time with his fellow male teammates. Michael happened to be in a jittery mood since he had found out that he would be playing against his long time rival, Devin McCarrey. Scott was rowdy as ever anticipating the quidditch match. Chuck was sitting quietly on the couch in Michael's living room trying to keep himself in the mindset of game day. Brian had been conveniently not invited; no one wanted to deal with him. The entire team was hoping he'd get knocked off his broom within the first few minutes of the match.

Marie, Michael's wife came into the living room carrying their newborn baby boy. Michael had been ecstatic when she delivered a son. Marie was a tall woman with dark skin and large brown eyes.

"Hello, Marie." Oliver greeted upon seeing her.

"Hello, Oliver." She said smiling at him.

"Michael, can you help me with the girls for a bit? I need to take care of Thomas and I can't watch over the girls at the same time." Marie said quietly to her husband.

"Of course, Dear." Michael smiled. "Just send them down here; we can watch them, right guys?"

Oliver, Chuck, and Scott nodded at the statement. Marie left with the baby and a few minutes later, Michael's two daughters ran into the room.

"Hey! There are my girls." Michael yelled excitedly at them. "Rachel, Ellie, you remember these guys, right?"

Ellie, only three years old, shyly climbed into her father's lap while she nodded slightly. She looked at the other three men in the room and looked away timidly when Chuck waved and smiled at her.

Rachel, being older, seven years old, smiled and nodded.

"Scott!" Rachel yelled before running and jumping into his lap.

"Well, hello, Darling." Scott laughed. "How are you?"

"I'm good, but Thomas cries all the time and I can't sleep." She pouted.

Scott looked to Michael who rolled his eyes. Scott smirked understanding that there was sibling rivalry going on in the house, especially since the newest addition to the family was a boy.

"You can't sleep? Oh no! If you don't get your sleep, how are you going to stay looking so beautiful, Darling?" Scott said looking horrified.

"I know!" Rachel rolled her eyes. "I told Mom that, but she doesn't care," she huffed.

Scott chuckled, as did Chuck and Oliver. Michael just shook his head knowing how much of a diva his oldest could be.

"So, Oliver," Chuck said looking up. "Have you heard from that American girl?"

"Lacey." Oliver said quietly. "And not lately. The last letter I got was over a month ago."

"Sorry to hear that mate." Michael said patting him on the shoulder.

"Yeah, it's just a pain. I'm always wondering how she's doing, but I never hear from her. It worries me. I know she's safe at home, but I'd rather have it so I could see her, you know?" Oliver said to the guys.

"Yeah, I get that." Chuck said. "I feel the same way about Chelsea now that she's pregnant. I'm always worried something is going to happen when I'm not around. Especially with everything that's happening within the Ministry."

"Have any of you been listening to Potter Watch?" Michael asked.

"Every once in a while." Scott said. "Oliver, didn't you know Harry Potter?"

Oliver nodded, "Yeah, when I was Gryffindor quidditch captain. He was my seeker. I knew him pretty well from practices."

"What's he like?" Chuck asked.

"He's like any other person. He's a young wizard. He had no idea about the wizarding world before he came to Hogwarts. Harry is a very selfless person. I'm rooting for him wherever he is." Oliver answered.

"We all are." Michael said. "We should probably head over to the pitch, Michelle's probably waiting."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Chuck said standing up and stretching.

"All right, Darling," Scott said taking Rachel off his lap and putting her on the floor. "I'll be seeing you."

"Bye Scott." She smiled.

Oliver stood, too and the three men waited for Michael who was saying goodbye to his family.

"Bye, Daddy." Rachel and Ellie said each kissing their father.

The four men left and apparated to the quidditch pitch. Luckily it was a home game and they were going to have a healthy crowd. Puddlemere United had some of the most loyal fans in the entire quidditch league.

As they walked toward the gates of the quidditch pitch, the guys saw Michelle standing at the entrance to the locker rooms. She looked tired and distressed.

"Merlin, what happened now?" Scott asked disgruntled as they walked toward the locker rooms.

"Oh, Oliver, thank heaven you're here!" Michelle exclaimed upon seeing him.

"Is everything all right, Michelle?" Oliver asked.

"No, it's not." She said shaking her head. "It's Brian; he quit the team this morning."

"Selfish prick." Scott said under his breath.

"Oliver, congratulations, you have been promoted as our starting keeper." Michelle smiled holding out her hand to him.

"And Coach Runckle is all right with this decision?" Oliver asked hesitantly.

"Of course he is, he made the decision and he likes you, Oliver." Michelle smiled.

"Well," Oliver said taking her hand and shaking it. "All right then."

"Congrats, mate!" Michael yelled patting him on the back before entering the locker rooms.

Scott and Chuck had already entered the locker rooms and had missed most of the conversation. Michelle was looking past Oliver toward the entrance gates.

"Oliver, why are you still standing here?" Michelle asked turning to him.

"Oh, right sorry." Oliver said walking past her quickly to change into his quidditch robes.

Oliver walked into the locker rooms and saw most of the team getting ready for the match. Karen was changed and doing dome breathing exercises, Michael was finishing getting his robes on, Scott was swinging his beater's bat not really paying attention to anyone else, and Chuck was speaking with Chelsea at one of the side doors. Chelsea was starting to show, the small baby bump protruding. She was usually at every game watching from the box seats. Terry had taken her place until she returns after the baby is born. Oliver stood in front of his locker and began stripping down. He had been spending a lot of time working on his physique since Lacey had left. He was stronger and more toned allowing him to have more control over his body while keeping the goal posts.

A few minutes later, Michelle entered the locker rooms determination on her face. Chuck kissed Chelsea lightly before turning to listen to Michelle's pregame speech.

"All right team, gather round." Michelle called. "We've got a tough game today. This match means everything for us. If we don't win, we don't advance to the British and Irish Quidditch League Cup Championship. We've been working hard for the past month to perfect our teamwork and our individual skills. I need all of you to have your heads in the game. If we win this game, we'll have no trouble winning that cup."

"You got it, Michelle!" Karen yelled punching her fist in the air.

"No problem, Darling." Scott said smoothly continuing the swing his bat around.

"Good." Michelle smirked. "Now let's get a little bit of practice in before this match. Everyone out on the pitch, now!"

The team filed out of the locker rooms and readied themselves for the upcoming quidditch match.


	16. Chapter 16: Bellycastle Bats

Chapter 16: Bellycastle Bats

Oliver felt the excitement running through his veins during the course of the match. Puddlemere United was in the lead seventy to forty after two hours of game play. He hadn't felt this much excitement since he had played against Lacey. It had finally sunk in after the first goal he blocked that he was the starting keeper.

Oliver saw one of the chasers flying fast toward him, the quaffle tucked under his arm. But he also saw another chaser below him. Oliver predicted that the chaser holding the quaffle would drop it and allow his teammate to attempt a goal trying to confuse him.

The chaser, McMullan dropped the quaffle as Oliver predicted and the other chaser, Cummings, grabbed it and flew toward the right and attempted to score. Oliver was too quick and grabbed the quaffle before it even had a chance to touch the goal post.

Oliver threw the quaffle nearly halfway down field where Michelle caught it over her shoulder. He liked watching how the game would play out; there wasn't much that he could do when the quaffle was on the opposite side of the field.

The match went on at a steady pace, not very exciting, but good for Oliver. He hadn't let anymore goals score. Puddlemere United was doing extremely well, one hundred thirty points to Bellycastle's forty. At hour three in the game, Karen spotted the snitch and flew as fast as she could toward the glittering tiny gold ball. The other seeker was close behind her, riding her tail. Bellycastle's seeker pulled out ahead of Karen and the game stopped to watch the fight for the end of the match. Just as the other seeker's fingertips touched the glittering ball, Karen shot forward her hand outstretched and grasped the snitch.

The crowd went wild. Puddlemere United's fans were screaming, jumping up and down at the results of the match: two hundred eighty to forty. The teams landed on the ground and Michelle shook the hand of Bellycastle's captain, Devin McCarrey.

Michelle turned to the rest of the team and punched her fist into the air screaming, "Yes! We did it!"

Karen was still jumping up and down the snitch clutched in her hand. Oliver felt some of the strongest emotions running through his body at the moment; he was proud of himself, and proud of his team.

"Great job Oliver!" Michelle yelled pointing to him. "You only let four goals in. It's incredible. I've never seen you play like that."

"What?" Scott yelled. "My mate is a hundred percent better than that fellow who quit this morning. What was his name again?"

"Who cares!" The entire team called out together.

"We're in the running for the British and Irish League Cup this year. I say we get out of our robes and go out to celebrate!" Chuck yelled with more enthusiasm than most of the team had ever seen him display.

"Sounds good to me." Karen smiled. "Where are we meeting?"

The team discussed their plans for the night on their way to the changing rooms. By the time they were packing their bags to head home the team had decided they would meet at McFarlen's Pub and see how the night goes from there.

Filing out of the changing rooms, the team said their goodbyes and headed to their homes to get ready for the night to come.

Oliver apparated and walked to his apartment. He dropped his bag on the floor the moment he stepped through his door. He kicked it to the side before closing and locking the door behind him.

Oliver took a deep breath and smiled feeling exuberant about the win and finally being promoted to starting keeper. He walked toward his bathroom to take a shower, but stopped when a small letter on his kitchen table caught his eye. Hoping it was from Lacey, he made a b-line for the table.

Oliver broke the seal on the envelope and pulled the letter out. Unfolding it he found that it wasn't from Lacey, but from his father.

_Oliver,_

_I've written this letter to inform you that I've left your mother. She's not the woman I fell in love with. I don't know what to do, I don't know where to go. Your mother kicked me out of the house after a fight we had. I'm going to be staying with your Uncle Robert until I work things out._

_Love,_

_Your father_

Oliver's throat had gone dry, his stomach had dropped, and all his good feelings were gone. He knew his mother had been acting differently, but he had no idea she and his father were going through marital troubles. He sat down and took a deep breath before reading the letter again. He couldn't understand. He didn't know how to respond to this; the only thing he could think of was to write to his sister, Fae.

_Fae,_

_Did you get a letter from Mum or Dad? I don't know how to respond to this; I didn't know things were so bad between them. Dad's staying with Uncle Robert for a little while. What do we do?_

_Oliver_

He folded the letter and slipped it into a fresh envelope. He decided before he made his way to the pub, he would stop by the wizarding post office to send the letter to his sister. Taking a deep breath, Oliver stood from the kitchen table and went into the bathroom to get ready for his night.

-X-

Oliver walked into the pub feeling much more somber than he had a couple hours prior. He had just come from the wizarding post office. Hearing about his parents separating was one of the biggest shocks of his life. No matter how bad things got between his parents over the years, they had always been able to work things out.

Oliver noticed movement at the back of the pub where Michelle was waving him over. He nodded letting her know he had seen her and made his way over to the table. Everyone from the team was there, with the exceptions of Michael, Chuck, and Chelsea.

"Hey Oliver!" Michelle greeted with excitement. She was bouncing she was so happy about their victory today.

"Hi everyone." Oliver greeted putting a smile on his face. "Who's ready to celebrate?"

"I'm all for that!" Scott yelled holding up his pint. "Oliver, you need to get yourself a drink, mate."

"That I do." Oliver chuckled. Scott was always the first to get drunk and the last to leave the pub.

Oliver walked up to the bar counter and ordered a beer for himself. After receiving his drink he walked back to the table where his teammates were laughing and enjoying their time together. He wished that he could be as carefree as that at the moment, but his father's letter was still heavy on his mind. Oliver sat down and he saw Karen watching him, her eyebrow cocked in confusion. He shook his head at her indicating that he didn't want to talk about it. She shrugged it off and went back to talking with the others about their winning quidditch game.

Oliver was determined to have a good time tonight. He downed half his beer and reminded himself that he had only let in four goals in the entire game, he was now starting keeper for Puddlemere United, and they were in the running for the British and Irish League Quidditch Cup.

"You might want to slow down there, bud." Terry said clapping Oliver on the shoulder.

"I'm celebrating." Oliver answered and shrugged Terry's hand off his shoulder.

Karen leaned over to Michelle and whispered something in her ear. Oliver saw Michelle's eyes shift to him and knew Karen was saying something about the mood he was in. Michelle nodded at Karen's words and then left the table. She went to the bar counter and ordered herself another drink. Oliver finished his beer and went up to the bar counter to order himself something stronger. He asked the bar tender for scotch and Michelle's head snapped to him.

"Oliver, I'm surprised." She said. "You don't usually drink so heavy when you're in public."

"I'm feeling good tonight. I figured I'd take my chances." He answered accepting the drink from the tender.

Oliver turned to walk back to the table, but he felt a hand on his arm. He turned his head to see Michelle looking up at him, concern in her eyes.

"What's going on?" She asked. "You're not acting like yourself."

"It's just," Oliver paused. "It's a personal matter."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Michelle asked sincerely.

"No." Oliver shook his head.

"Does it have to do with Lacey?" Michelle pried.

"No, it's a family matter." Oliver told her and pushed past her hand.

Oliver felt her eyes on his back as he walked back to the table. He didn't want to talk about it. It was personal and he wanted to keep it that way. He never liked to talk about his personal life anyway.

"Ah, that's my boy!" Scott called. "Scotch is a great drink."

Oliver shook his head. He never understood why Scott got drunk all the time, but he was definitely fun to be around. He was the life of the party, but he had a few warnings from their coach already to tone it down. He had two restraining orders against him, both by women he had slept with. Scott knew how to have a good time, but sometimes he took it a little too far.

"Now, Oliver, you know how to celebrate." Scott smiled raising his drink in a toast before downing the last of the contents in the mug.

Michelle had returned to the table and retook her seat next to Karen. The two began to talk quickly and quietly. Oliver rolled his eyes as he watched them intermittently look over at him. Oliver turned to Scott and started a somewhat coherent conversation with him about the match from earlier. Scott was still adamant that the opposing team shouldn't have gotten the penalty shot just because he beat a bludger at a chaser who wasn't in control of the quaffle.

The rest of the night went by at a moderate pace. Terry had gotten slapped a couple times by two different women that he hit on. He definitely wasn't a very smart or classy drunk. Michelle went home early when she ran into her boyfriend, Tom. Oliver still disliked the man, but he made Michelle happy, so he stayed out of it. Karen got sick from drinking too much and had to be helped home by a friend she met up with at the pub. Scott had disappeared once for nearly half an hour and reappeared smirking and waltzing toward the table.

Later in the evening, Scott got into a fist fight with a tough young man who happened to be the husband of the woman he had shagged in the loo earlier. Oliver couldn't believe how stupid Scott could be sometimes. It took both Terry and Oliver to break up the fight. Terry then agreed to take Scott home. And that left Oliver in the pub by himself.

It was midnight and Oliver sat hunched at the bar counter sipping at his sixth scotch of the night. He was beyond the point of being drunk and really didn't care. He had had a few brief conversations with the bar tender, but he was still obsessing over the fact that his family was falling apart. He tilted the glass all the way back and swallowed the last of the scotch.

"Oliver?" He heard a soft female voice ask.

He turned curious as to who it was that had called his name. He was surprised to see Angelina Johnson leaning against the counter looking at him.

"Angelina?" He asked confused.

"Yes," She answered. "What are you doing here?"

"I was celebrating with my team after our victory in the quidditch match today." He said with some difficulty. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here with a couple of friends." Her eyes shifted. "You look awful."

Oliver laughed. "Yeah, well, I feel awful."

"Maybe you should go home, then." She suggested looking at him with concern.

"Probably, but I'd rather not."

"Why not?"

"Being alone is not the best option for me tonight."

"Oliver, what's going on?" Angelina asked cautiously. "I've never seen you like this before."

"My parents have separated and the girl I'm in love with is on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean." Oliver said before dropping his head to the counter.

"Come on," Angelina said pulling Oliver off the stool. "I'm taking you home."

"You don't even know where I live." Oliver said stumbling as Angelina pulled him toward the exit of the pub. "And what about your friends?"

"I'll explain to them later." She said brushing it off. "Now, where do you live?"

Oliver explained in hazy detail which apartment building he lived in and what it was close to. Oliver was getting ready for Angelina to help him side-along apparate, but she just continued to walk with him.

"You're going to vomit if you apparate." She explained without him asking. "And I don't feel like being responsible for that."

"Uh huh." Oliver said feeling the cool spring air on his face.

After about fifteen minutes, they reached his building. Angelina helped him up the steps to the front door. Oliver fished in his pockets for the keys to his apartment. He found them and unlocked the front door. Just before he entered the building, Oliver turned and looked at Angelina.

"Did you want to come up?" He asked in his Scottish accent, thicker than normal.

Angelina flinched. "Uh, no, no. That's okay. I just wanted to get you home safely."

"Oh, well, thanks." Oliver said. "Goodbye, Angelina. Enjoy the rest of your night."

"Sure, Oliver." She smiled. "We should meet again sometime. I'll send an owl when I know you're sober enough to know what's going on."

Oliver nodded and entered the building. He climbed the stairs holding onto the railing for dear life. He felt like he was going to fall or pass out at any moment. He unlocked the door to his apartment and slammed the door shut once he was inside. He was becoming angry about everything now that he was alone to think about it all.

He entered his bedroom and stripped down to just his boxers. He stumbled into bed and laid on his stomach with his face pressed into his pillow. Thinking about everything that was going on with his family-his mother's attitude, his parents' separation, and Fae's inability to get along with either of their parents—Oliver yelled loudly into his pillow. He felt like he had so much to get out and not enough lung capacity to allow him to cleanse his angry mind.

And then his mind turned to Lacey. He had tried not to think about her all day, but his thoughts always drifted to her. He missed everything about her, but especially her company. He was angry that she hadn't written, but he was also in desperate need to have her with him. He began to breathe heavily as he thought about her and couldn't stop when he felt the tears come.

He hadn't cried since he was a young boy, but everything had gotten to be too much. He wrapped his arms around the pillow his face was shoved into and cried harder. He hadn't realized how much he missed Lacey until that moment.

Oliver was exhausted and angry and upset. He couldn't stop the flood of emotions that plagued him at the moment. His waking thoughts transferred over to his dreams and he fell asleep still crying and thinking about the love of his life.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Oliver woke up to a raging migraine. His face felt tight, his eyes burned, and he couldn't breathe through his nose. He hadn't felt this bad in years. He groaned as he sat up. Oliver looked around the room trying to steady himself before he stood up. The moment he got up from the bed everything began to spin and he stumble to the bathroom before vomiting into the toilet. His body shook and he laid his head on the floor welcoming the cool tile that touched his face.

"I'm never doing that again." Oliver said to himself. His voice was deep and raspy.

Oliver tried to get up to get a glass of water, but when he stood the room felt off and he emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet again. He tried to control his breathing as he sat on the floor. When he felt better, he stood, slowly this time. He cautiously walked to his kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. The cold water felt good in his stomach. He took a deep breath and placed his head on the counter.

It was then that he noticed two letters on the counter next to the sink. While keeping his head on the cold surface, he reached a hand out and grabbed the letters. The first one was in a familiar female scrawl and he hurriedly opened it.

_Oliver,_

_I'm sorry I haven't written in a long time. I've been very busy getting things figured out now that I'm back at home. I've missed you so much. _

_How have you been? I've been looking at the quidditch league statistics and I've noticed that Puddlemere has been doing fantastic. _

_I hope that soon we'll be able to see each other again. _

_Love,_

_Lacey_

Oliver read the letter over and over again taking in the shape of her letters. He smiled softly knowing that she was safe and still missing him. He looked at the other letter and noticed that it was Fae's handwriting. He broke the seal and unfolded the parchment hoping that his sister had some good advice.

_Oliver,_

_I got the same letter yesterday. Mum hasn't tried to contact me in months and I don't really care about that, but I'm worried about Dad. He's devastated and we need to support him. If you don't have a match this Saturday, we should visit Uncle Robert and see how Dad is doing._

_Let me know if that works for you._

_Love,_

_Fae_

Oliver sighed feeling overwhelmed again. He was so angry about his parents separating. His father had always loved his mother, no matter what. Oliver wanted to know what had happened between his parents to finally make them snap.

Oliver took another drink of water and then headed over to the couch to sit down. He needed to check his schedule to make sure he could accompany Fae to visit their father. And he needed to write back to Lacey.

-X-

By mid-afternoon, Oliver was feeling much better physically and was ready to get dressed and go to the post office to send letters to his sister and lover. When he was about the leave, he noticed an owl hovering just outside his kitchen window. He opened it and the tawny owl swooped in. It dropped the letter on the table and flew out the same way it had come in.

Without thinking, Oliver ripped open the letter and found that it was short and to the point from Michelle.

_Oliver,_

_The Ministry has put a ban on the quidditch league. There will be no more games for the rest of the season. This is horrible!_

_Michelle_

Oliver's eyebrows dropped in fury at the words on the page. He growled in frustration and crumpled the letter in his hand. He tore up the letter he had written to Lacey and pulled out a new piece of parchment. This time he wrote about the ban on the quidditch league and how angry he was about it; he wrote about his family troubles; and he wrote about how much he missed her.

Oliver sealed the new letter and left his apartment headed for the post office. The wizarding post office wasn't very far away and he didn't feel much like apparating. After he had paid for two owls and had given the postal worker his letters, Oliver decided to take a walk around the city to clear his head. He had a lot to think about and he wanted to sort most of it out.

He didn't pay attention much as he wandered around London. He trusted that his feet knew where they were going as he continued to be deep in thought. He was mainly thinking about his parents. Oliver just didn't understand why now of all times, they decided to separate. A war was brewing and it seemed like his parents' marriage was one of the small hopes that kept him going. Now that he felt his family was falling apart, he didn't know if there was any hope to be had in these dark times.

Oliver looked up noticing the sky darkening. He heard thunder in the distance and realized a storm was coming. He looked at his surroundings to figure out how far from his apartment he was. Without even paying attention, his feet had carried him to Lacey's apartment building. He stared at the building for a moment before hanging his head and walking toward his own apartment.

When he was about a block away from his apartment, Oliver felt the first raindrops on his head. They were cold and falling intermittently. As he approached the door to his apartment building, the rain drops came down faster.

Oliver fumbled in his pocket for his keys, all the while becoming soaked. He finally found his keys and jammed them into the lock. Quickly opening the door, he rushed into the lobby of the building. His hands were covered in rain water and droplets of water dripped on his face from his hair.

Oliver climbed the stair to his apartment and opened the door. He slipped his shoes off and shook his head trying to get rid of the remaining water. He dragged his feet to the couch and plopped down before resting his head on the arm rest. He felt exhausted and his body was still recovering from the large quantity of alcohol he had consumed the night before. He closed his eyes to rest his head, but fell asleep in the awkward position instead.


	18. Chapter 18: Calling

Chapter 18: Calling

Oliver woke up in his bed feeling like he never wanted to leave his bed. He had visited his father the past few weekends to make sure he was all right. After seeing his father's emotional state collapse even further, Oliver was beginning to lose hope in the world.

Things were getting worse as summer approached. More and more people were disappearing and winding up dead in great occurrences than the past few months. People were so paranoid they wouldn't even trust their friends. People were secluding themselves from society, afraid of the terrors that lurked in the shadows.

Oliver was listening to Potterwatch almost every day. The world's only hope of salvation was now Harry Potter. He desperately hoped Harry would make his attack against Voldemort and the death eaters as soon as possible.

This weekend was no different. Oliver was going to visit his father again. He was going to try to make his father cheer up. He wasn't sure how he was going to do that seeing as he was not in the happiest moods as of late.

Reluctantly, Oliver got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom to do his morning routine. The hot shower woke him up and he felt a little better now that his body was clean. He finished with his shower and got dressed before moving into the kitchen to make some breakfast. He put something together quick and cleaned his dishes when he was finished. Oliver put on his shoes and grabbed his keys before leaving his apartment.

Slipping into an alley, Oliver made sure no one saw him or was following him. When he was sure no one noticed him, he apparated to the Scottish countryside where his father was staying with his Uncle Robert.

Oliver walked up to the large wooden front door and knocked. A few seconds passed and his aunt opened the door.

"Oliver," She greeted. "It's good to see you again."

"Hi, Aunt Heather." Oliver smiled.

"Come in, dear." She said stepping aside to allow Oliver to step into the house.

"How's my dad?" Oliver asked as his aunt closed the door.

"He's better than last week." She said. "I think he's finally coming around. You know how close Robert and your father are."

"Yeah," Oliver nodded. "So, Dad's making some progress?"

"A little bit." His aunt told him as she led him into the living room.

Oliver stepped into the living room and saw his father sitting on the couch talking to his brother, Robert. Oliver's father was smiling for the first time in weeks. He looked up when he heard Oliver come into the room.

"Oliver," his father got up. "I'm glad you came to see me."

"It's good to see you in a better mood." Oliver said hugging his father.

"How's it going, Oliver?" His uncle asked from the couch.

"Hey Uncle Robert." Oliver waved.

"Any news from your girl?" Oliver's father asked.

"Yeah, I got a letter a few weeks ago. She's doing all right. She says she's been busy getting things straightened out at home." Oliver told him.

"Oh, when did you start seeing someone, Oliver?" His uncle asked.

"Last September, but she was sent home at the beginning of January and I haven't seen her since." Oliver explained.

Oliver's father guided him to the couch where they both sat down and started a conversation.

"What do you mean she was 'sent home'?" Uncle Robert asked.

"Er…she's American and since the corruption has gotten worse, she was deported back home. She was here playing quidditch. That's how we met." Oliver didn't really feel like talking about Lacey.

"She was a very nice young woman." Oliver's father commented.

"She is. I miss her." Oliver hung his head gathering his composure.

When Oliver lifted his head he noticed his father, uncle, and aunt staring at him. His eyes darted between the three of them. He saw his aunt smile softly at him and his father placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Do you love her?" His aunt asked.

Oliver was silent thinking over what his aunt had asked him. He wanted to put his answer into words in the best way possible.

"I've never felt this way about any woman I've dated. She's incredible and the way she plays quidditch!" Oliver paused, thinking about the first game they played against each other. "After being with her, I can't imagine ever being with anyone else. I love her."

"Oh Oliver," Aunt Heather said with tears in her eyes. "That's so sweet." She bent down to hug him.

Oliver looked to his father who was smiling broadly at him.

"I love you, son." He said squeezing his shoulder. "And you need to go get her."

"If she's as amazing as you say she is, there should be nothing stopping you." Uncle Robert said from the other side of the couch.

"I can't with everything going on in the Ministry." He said feeling defeated. "Although, I did promise her that once all this is over, I would go find her."

"That's good." Oliver's father told him.

Oliver shook his head. With how bad things were getting in the world, he didn't know if he would be able to keep his promise. Seeing a potential disaster, Aunt Heather stepped in to change the subject.

"Is anyone hungry?" She asked and the three men looked up. "I've made lunch."

"Lunch sounds great." Oliver's father said. Uncle Robert nodded in agreement.

"Sure." Oliver answered his aunt.

"Okay, I'll be right back." She said leaving the room.

An uncomfortable silence fell on the room. There was no buffer anymore and it was obvious that talking about girlfriends and wives was not the best idea. Oliver looked around the living room and noticed the many family portraits and moving pictures of his cousins.

"How's Aiden?" Oliver asked his uncle.

"Oh, he's doing fine." He answered. "He's in his seventh year now. But Hogwarts has been taking over by Death Eaters and he'll either leave after this year or go back later for a proper finish."

"That's too bad." Oliver's father commented. "It's awful what they're doing. It's not just how they're treating adults, but they throw in and child with whatever lot they like. I've heard of too many kids on the run because they can't prove they have a parent with magic in their blood."

"Yes, it's disturbing how many have gone missing as well." Uncle Robert stated.

Just then, Aunt Heather returned with a platter filled with sandwiches and lemonade. She stepped through the living a proud smile on her face. Uncle Robert looked at her with confusion.

"What is it darling?" He asked.

"I've just received a letter from Brody." Her smile grew wider. Brody was the eldest of their three children and their first son. "He's informed us that he and Claire are expecting their first baby."

Uncle Robert's eyes grew wide. A smile crept onto his face. He gave a small chuckle before speaking.

"Our first grandchild." He stated.

"Yes," She laughed. "Isn't it exciting?"

"Congratulations." Oliver smiled at his aunt and uncle. "Tell Brody that for me."

"Oh, of course Oliver. I should go write back." In a rush Aunt Heather was out of the room.

The three men picked up the small sandwiches and began to devour them. They ate in silence, filled with a glimmer of hope. There really could be joy in times of hardship.

-X-

By the mid-afternoon, Oliver was beginning to feel that he had overstayed his welcome. He said goodbye to his aunt and uncle in the living room, but his father followed him to the front door.

"I'll be seeing you, Dad." Oliver said giving his father a hug.

"It's to see you so often." He answered back. "Will you come by next weekend?"

"I'll try." Oliver smiled.

"All right. Goodbye, son." His father waved as he walked out of the house.

Once he was at the end of the drive, Oliver apparated back to London. Things were getting crazy. There was no one in the streets and everything seemed too quiet. It gave him a bad feeling. Watching his back closely, Oliver slipped out of the alleyway and up the stairs to his apartment. Once he was inside he felt a lot safer.

He stepped into his apartment and went to his kitchen where he found a letter waiting for him on the table. He expected it to be from Lacey, but it wasn't.

_Oliver,_

_Everyone is meeting at Hogwarts. It's happening. Harry is making his stand. Come fight with us. Go to the Hog's Head in Hogsmeade. The bar keeper will help you get into the castle._

_Angelina Johnson_

Oliver dropped the letter and made sure his wand was in his pocket before he rushed out of his apartment.


	19. Chapter 19

**Author's Note**: Sorry, I haven't updated in such a long time. I will be focusing on this story for a while now, and it's coming to a close. I have plans for a sequel.

On another note: I do not own Harry Potter or anything associated with the Harry potter franchise.

-XXX-

Chapter 19

Oliver apparated to the Hog's Head immediately. The sun had gone down and night was closing in. The bar keeper, who looked an awful lot like Professor Dumbledore, helped him and a few others get to the passage that led into Hogwarts. Oliver walked with a few others through the dark tunnel. They came out inside the Room of Requirement.

"Oliver!" Angelia called.

Oliver made his way over to her immediately, where he met Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, and the Weasley family.

"Where's Harry?" Oliver asked.

"Dunno," Katie answered. "He ran off a little while ago with Ron and Hermione."

Oliver nodded and turned around to scan the room. He recognized quite a few faces in the crowd. He couldn't believe this was happening. The air was tense as everyone waited for further orders. They were going to have to wait until Harry returned.

"How are things going?" Angelina asked Oliver in a hushed tone.

Oliver gave a small sigh, "My dad's better, but I haven't heard from my mother."

"I'm so sorry, Oliver." He felt her hand on his shoulder as she comforted him.

"It's all right. I'm not really concerned with it right now." Oliver shrugged.

There was a commotion as Harry returned with a girl with blonde hair in tow. The boy stopped dead in his tracks as he looked at the crowd in front of him. His mouth opened slightly in astonishment. Harry's eyes scanned the room and when they landed on Oliver, he gave the boy a slight nod.

"Harry, what's happening?" Professor Lupin asked moving to the front of the crowd.

"Voldemort's on his way, they're barricading the school—Snape's run for it—What are you doing here? How did you know?" Harry asked as he looked around the crowded room.

"We sent messages to the rest of Dumbledore's Army," Fred spoke up. "You couldn't expect everyone to miss the fun, Harry, and the D.A. let the Order of the Phoenix know, and it all kind of snowballed."

"What first, Harry?" called George. "What's going on?"

"They're evacuating the younger kids and everyone's meeting in the Great Hall to get organized," Harry said. "We're fighting."

In the blink of an eye the crowd's mood changed. There was an uproar as everyone tried to leave the Room of Requirement. Everyone drew their wands as they exited the room and made their way to the Great Hall. Oliver looked back and saw Harry moving toward the Weasley family before turning back around and following Angelina.

Oliver listened to Professor McGonagall as she explained evacuating procedures. He looked around and saw the stark white faces of many students around him. People were beginning to panic, although they didn't show it yet.

"And what if we want to stay and fight?" A boy at the Hufflepuff table interrupted. A small round of applause broke over the hall.

"If you are of age, you may stay." McGonagall answered calmly.

"What about our things?" A girl called from the Ravenclaw table. "Our trunks, our owls?"

"We have no time to collect possessions," Professor McGonagall said from the podium. "The important thing is to get you out of here safely."

"Where's Professor Snape?" Oliver heard a girl call from the Slytherin table.

"He has, to use the common phrase, done a bunk." McGonagall answered her lips becoming tighter.

Oliver didn't hesitate to join in on the applause and cheers that erupted from the Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor tables. Harry began to walk along the walls searching down the tables. Oliver heard whispers begin to circulate the Great Hall. He wasn't listening to McGonagall anymore, but the harsh voice that broke out in the hall caught his attention.

"I know you are preparing to fight." Voldemort's voice spoke, echoing in the room. Some students screamed and hugged each other, fear coursing through their veins. "Your efforts are futile. You cannot fight me. I do not want to kill you. I have great respect for the teachers of Hogwarts. I do not want to spill magical blood."

The silence was deafening as everyone listened with bated breath. Oliver felt his chest clench in fear and anticipation.

"Give me Harry Potter," Voldemort demanded. "And none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter and I shall leave the school untouched. Give me Harry Potter and you shall be rewarded. You have until midnight."

There was silence again, and Oliver felt his head swim with anger. What was it about Harry that Voldemort wanted to kill him so badly? There was no way in Hell that Oliver even thought of giving in to those demands.

Oliver turned to look at Harry and realized that everyone else was staring at the boy as well. Out of the corner of his eye, Oliver saw a girl stand at the Slytherin table.

"But he's there! Potter's _there_! Someone grab him!" She shouted jabbing her pudgy finger toward Harry.

Oliver, along with the rest of the Gryffindors moved as one to guard Harry against the Slytherins. The Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws moved to join them, scowls on every one of their faces as they glared at the Slytherins. Oliver saw a few people pull wands out of their cloaks and point them at the girl. She went pale as McGonagall spoke again.

"Thank you, Miss Parkinson. You will leave the Hall first with Mr. Filch. If the rest of your House could follow."

The Slytherins followed Mr. Filch. A few of them glared at the crowd guarding Harry, but did nothing.

"Ravenclaws, follow on!" McGonagall called.

As the Great Hall emptied, Oliver looked around him and saw some students take seats. A few Ravenclaws stayed behind. Even more Hufflepuffs stayed behind. Oliver took a seat at the Gryffindor table and saw that half of the students had stayed behind.

McGonagall had to harshly lead out a few underage students who tried to stay behind. Oliver saw Harry rush toward the Weasley family and start speaking to them hurriedly.

"Oliver, it's good to see you." Katie said as she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders.

"It's good to see all of you." Oliver answered looking into the faces of his former chasers.

Kingsley Shacklebolt took his place at the podium to address everyone who had stayed behind.

"We've only got half an hour until midnight, so we need to act fast! A battle plan has been agreed between the teachers of Hogwarts and the Order of the Phoenix. Professors Flitwick, Sprout, and McGonagall are going to take groups of up to the three highest towers—Ravenclaw, Astronomy, and Gryffindor—where they'll have a good overview, excellent positions from which to work spells. Meanwhile Remus" he pointed to Professor Lupin. "Arthur," he pointed to Mr. Weasley. "And I will take groups into the grounds. We'll need somebody to organize defense of the entrances of the passageways into the school—"

"Sounds like a job for us!" called Fred a few seats away from Oliver.

Kingsley nodded, "All right, leaders up here and we'll divide up the troops!"

Mr. Weasley and Professor Lupin stepped up to the podium and beckoned everyone forward. Many of the girls who had stayed behind to fight were sent to the towers so they would be at a safer distance to attack. Oliver was told by Professor Lupin that he would be stationed at the front entrance to Hogwarts. Oliver nodded in understanding and followed Kingsley with a few others toward the front entrance.

Oliver could feel the tension in the air. He looked around and saw a few people shifting nervously, their wands at the ready. Kingsley and other members of the Order of the Phoenix were patrolling the area keeping their eyes set on the grounds.

"Get ready!" He heard someone yell.

Oliver raised his wand and looked out onto the grounds, seeing Death Eaters approaching in the darkness. Some were walking; others were on brooms. A stream of bright red light shot through the entrance hall. People moved out of the way as quickly as they could. Oliver heard a yelp behind him as someone was hit, his arm swelling as it was affected by the curse.

There was a pause before chaos erupted. Curses flew everywhere as the Death Eaters approached. Oliver aimed at a Death Eater in the distance and shot a curse at him. He went down, his robes billowing.

Oliver turned quickly when he heard a yell behind him. He moved awkwardly as a curse rushed toward him. He couldn't get out of the way quick enough and felt his left arm rip open as if someone had slashed at him with a knife. He winced as blood trickled out of the wound. Someone from the Order ran up to him and grabbed his arm. Within moments, the wound was stitched up.

"Thanks." Oliver said quickly.

"Watch yourself." The man said before rushing off the keep more Death Eaters at bay.

There was chaos all around. Curses and spells bounced off walls and sprang from wands at close range. There was no safety, but Oliver couldn't feel the fear. Adrenaline pumped through his veins as he guarded himself and attacked the enemy. In order to stay safe, everyone had to keep moving. It was hard to maneuver over the bodies that littered the ground, dead or injured.

Oliver blocked a curse from hitting him. He entered the duel with the Death Eater, trying his hardest to block and attack at the same time. Every curse Oliver cast was blocked and he was beginning to panic as the Death Eater came closer.

"Damn!" Oliver shouted before casting a nasty curse when the enemy's arm was raised. Before he could gather himself, there were screams all around him.

"Get down!" He heard people shouting. Gigantic spiders had entered the castle and were bowling down anyone in their path. Behind the spiders came more Death Eaters. The fighting continued.

The dueling intensified as everyone fought to stay alive. More danger was coming in the form of giants. Oliver was able to dive out of the way just in time as stone and other debris crashed to the ground. The ground shook as giants fought it out. So much was going on at once, but then it seemed to stop a moment after. The Death Eaters pulled back and Voldemort's voice broke through the night air once more.

"You have fought valiantly. Lord Voldemort knows how to value bravery. Yet you have sustained heavy losses. If you continue to resist me, you will all die, one by one. I do not wish this to happen. Every drop of magical blood spilled is a loss and a waste. Lord Voldemort is merciful. I command my forces to retreat immediately. You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity. Treat your wounded." There was a pause before he continued again. "I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you. You have permitted your friends to die for you rather than face me yourself. I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."

Silence hung over the castle and Oliver felt a chill run down his spine. Before the fear and chill could overtake his body, he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Come, we need your help collecting the dead." Kingsley told him.

"Okay," Oliver nodded trying to keep his voice steady. He turned and saw the bodied that were already being brought into the Great Hall.

Oliver followed a few others out onto the grounds and began to collect the dead and bring them inside. He recognized a few faces and had to look away as he was carrying them. He made trips back and forth helping others who couldn't quite carry the bodies. He helped Neville carry a young boy's body; he looked familiar and his name came to him as they laid him on the floor of the Great Hall—Colin Creevey. Oliver scanned the Great Hall and saw many faces he knew. When he saw Fred Weasley laying in the fray of dead bodies, surrounded by the rest of the Weasley family, he felt his throat tighten. He looked away; he couldn't bear it. He then saw Professor Lupin lying next to a woman who must have been from the Order of the Phoenix. He hung his head and left the Hall to continue gathering the bodies that had not been claimed.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Things were quiet aside from the wails and sniffles as families grieved for their losses. Oliver sat with Katie Bell and Alicia Spinnet against the far wall of the Great Hall. Angelina had gone to join the Weasleys in grieving for Fred.

"It's not over yet," Katie said barely audible, exhaustion in her voice.

"Not by a long shot," Oliver answered just as exhausted.

There was something tense in the air as everyone waiting for an update on the battle. The younger kids were shaking with fear and many had broken down needing to be reassured that it would all be over soon.

Chills ran down Oliver's spine as Voldemort's voice echoed in through the grounds.

"Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away, trying to save himself while you lay down your lives for him. We bring you his body as proof that your hero is gone."

Oliver's stomach dropped—he couldn't believe that Harry was dead.

"The battle is won," Voldemort continued. "You have lost half of your fighters. My Death Eaters outnumber you, and the Boy Who Lived is finished. There must be no more war. Anyone who continues to resist, man, woman, or child, will be slaughtered, as will every member of their family. Come out of the castle now, kneel before me, and you shall be spared. Your parents and children, your brothers and sisters will live and be forgiven, and you will join me in the new world we shall build together."

No one spoke, no one moved. Defeat hung on everyone's shoulders.

"Come," Voldemort said in a voice that commanded attention.

People began to move toward the entrance hall. Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, and Hermione Granger were at the head of the pack. Oliver heaved himself up from the floor and helped the girls up. They followed hoping that what Voldemort said wasn't true. He saw McGonagall rush out ahead of everyone as the front doors open.

"NO!" everyone heard McGonagall cry.

Ron, Hermione, and Ginny pushed forward, "No! No! Harry! HARRY!"

Everyone crowded the doors. Oliver saw Harry's body laying limp on the ground at Hagrid's feet. Oliver felt a plethora of emotions consume his body—disbelief, sadness, anger. He joined in with everyone as they yelled out their disbelief that Harry was gone.

"SILENCE!" Voldemort yelled making Oliver's ears ring, and he felt his voice leave him. "You see? Harry potter is dead. Do you understand now, deluded ones? He was nothing, ever, but, a boy who relied on others to sacrifice themselves for him!"

"He beat you!" Ron yelled.

Oliver felt his voice return and joined in with everyone as they resumed their yelling. There was a flash as Voldemort cast another spell and he felt his voice leave him once more.

"He was killed while trying to sneak out of the castle grounds," Voldemort's voice was tinged with deception. "Killed while trying to save himself—"

At those words, Neville Longbottom broke out of the group and rushed towards Voldemort and the Death Eaters. Voldemort raised his wand and Neville dropped to the ground with a thud.

"And who is this?" Voldemort inquired with a hissing voice as he approached the boy. "Who has volunteered to demonstrate what happens to those who continue to fight when the battle is lost?"

There was a high pitched cackle from the line of Death Eaters. A woman stepped forward.

"It is Neville Longbottom, My Lord! The boy who has been giving the Carrows so much trouble! The son of the Aurors, remember?"

And then Voldemort spoke too softly for Oliver and the others to hear. He leaned over Neville as if he was taunting him and breaking him down at the same time. Neville stood, then, his fists curled, his wand no longer in his hand.

"So what if I am?" Neville spoke loudly.

Voldemort spoke to him again and Neville stayed quiet.

"I'll join you when Hell freezes over," they heard Neville say, anger in his voice. "Dumbledore's Army!"

There were cheers from students around Oliver as their voices returned again.

"Very well," Voldemort's voice sounded dangerous.

Voldemort raised his wand and something thick and brown flew out of one of the shattered windows of the castle. He caught it and shook it out before addressing them.

"There will be no more Sorting at Hogwarts School," he said. "There will be no more Houses. The emblem, shield, and colors of my noble ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, will suffice for everyone. Won't they, Longbottom?"

Neville went suddenly still and Voldemort forced the Sorting Hat on the boy's head. Oliver raised his wand along with everyone else. No one knew what Voldemort was planning, but they knew it couldn't be good. The Death Eaters raised their wands, too, to keep them as bay.

"Neville here is now going to demonstrate what happens to anyone foolish enough to continue to oppose me," and with a flick of his wand, the Sorting Hat was in flames upon Neville's head.

The boy's screams tore through the air. Oliver felt his blood boil as he watched Neville being tortured. A few people moved around him and he followed. Everyone inside the castle burst out yelling their battle cries. They charged at their enemy as one gigantic force.

So much happened at once. As Oliver was running with his comrades by his side, he noticed the giants were fighting each other. The body bind curse broke and Neville pulled the Sorting Hat off his head. He pulled something out of the Hat then. It was a sword. He moved and in one fluid motion sliced the head off of Voldemort's pet snake.

As duels began all around him, Oliver heard Hagrid yell over the crowd, "HARRY! HARRY—WHERE'S HARRY?"

Centaurs came galloping out of the Forbidden Forest, winged creatures flew around the giants' heads. All the while, the dueling wizards were being forced back into the castle. Oliver tried to avoid being trampled while still sending jinxes and curses toward the Death Eaters in front of him.

As Oliver reentered the castle, house elves from the kitchens swarmed the hallway. A small wrinkled house elf with a golden locket swinging from his neck seemed to be leading them.

In a gravely voice he uttered, "Fight! Fight! Fight for my Master, defender of house elves! Fight the Dark Lord, in the brave name of Regelus! Fight!"

The house elves ran between the gaps as wizard continued to duel. The swung with pans, stabbed with knives, and beat with cleavers.

Oliver dueled with a still hooded Death Eater, Katie Bell at his side. When he had been knocked unconscious, Oliver took the moment to look around. He saw Professor McGonagall dueling Voldemort alongside Slughorn and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

Oliver saw Hermione, Ginny, and a blonde girl being overpowered by Bellatrix Lestrange and made his way over to them shooting curses every so often. When he was a few feet away he saw a flash of green light—a killing curse had narrowly missed Ginny Weasley.

There was a screech as Mrs. Weasley came barreling toward the girls, "NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU BITCH!"

Bellatrix cackled with delight at the sight of the new dueler.

"OUT OF MY WAY!" Mrs. Weasley yelled pushing the girls out of the way.

Oliver seeing that he wasn't needed there anymore looked for someone else to help. Seeing a couple of Gryffindors who were being pushed back, Oliver made his way over to them. He reached them and helped in pushing the Death Eater back.

There was a yell as Bellatrix Lestrange fell, killed by Molly Weasley's curse. There were a few strangled cheers, but they had come too soon. Oliver saw Voldemort turn from his duel with the teachers and point his wand at Mrs. Weasley. Before Voldemort could utter his killing curse there was a yell of, "Protego!"

It seemed as if everything froze. Feet from Voldemort, Harry Potter appeared from thin air.

"Harry!" Oliver yelled in surprise. He heard others yell the same along with, "He's alive!"

Silence fell over them again as they watched Harry step forward and engage Voldemort.

"I don't want anyone else to try to help," Harry said to the crowd. "It's got to be like this. It's got to be me."

"Potter doesn't mean that," Voldemort hissed. "That isn't how he works, is it? Who are you going to use as a shield today, Potter?"

"Nobody," said Harry simply. "There are no more Horcruxes. It's just you and me. Neither can live while the other survives, and one of us is about to leave for good…"

"One of us?" Voldemort sneered. "You think it will be you, do you, the boy who has survived by accident, and because Dumbledore was pulling the strings?"

"Accident, was it, when my mother died to save me?" Harry asked as they two continued to move sideways circling each other. "Accident, when I decided to fight in that graveyard? Accident, that I didn't defend myself tonight, and still survived, and returned to fight again?"

"_Accidents_!" Screamed Voldemort.

The two continued to speak and Oliver was amazed by Harry's words. He explained everything, the history of Voldemort and Dumbledore, the reason why Voldemort's spells didn't hold on the crowd, who Professor Snape really was. Oliver was floored. Harry had been all over Europe hinting down Voldemort's soul and destroying it for this very moment. And then Harry explained the Deathly Hallows and how he was the true master of the Elder Wand.

They moved quickly, both wizards raising their wands and uttering their spells of choice.

"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort bellowed.

"Expelliarmus!" Harry yelled.

The two streams of light met each other in the middle. They fought to keep their hold. The green jet of light moved back toward the tip of Voldemort's wand. It all happened very fast—the green light hit Voldemort and the Elder Wand flew through the air. Harry caught it expertly in his hand as Voldemort fell, his piercing red eyes rolling into the back of his head.

Shock and triumph flowed slowly through everyone's veins as they realized what had happened. And then it broke over everybody in the room—they had won! Oliver joined in with everyone as they cheered. They all crowded around Harry to congratulate him.

Oliver looked around and spotted Katie, Alicia, and Angelina on the other side of the hall. He waded through the crowd toward them.

"Oliver!" Katie yelled and dove at his chest. "Thank goodness you're all right."

"How are you girls?" Oliver asked patting Katie's shoulder.

"Exhausted," Alicia answered sitting on a spare bench.

"Unsure of what to do with myself," Angelina snorted.

Oliver moved to sit next to Alicia when Katie let go of his waist. He bent his head into his hands and took a deep calming breath. It was over, but he still had so much to do. He needed to search for Lacey as soon as possible, but he didn't even know where to start.

"Oliver?" he heard Angelina say quietly.

He lifted his head from his hands and saw her concerned face.

"Are you all right?" Katie asked.

"There's something I have to do," He said before going in to the explanation of how he needed to find Lacey. When he was finished telling his story all three of them had goofy smiles on their faces and were exchanging meaningful looks. "What?" he asked.

"We all thought you would never discover the opposite sex," Alicia giggled.

"Hey," Oliver moaned slightly offended.

"We're happy for you," Katie smiled softly.

"If you need to do this, then you should leave as soon as possible," Angelina said pulling him up from the bench.

"Although, maybe you should head home first and take a shower," Alicia said waving her hand in front of her nose and laughing.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Oliver said. "I want to find her as soon as possible." He gave them each a hug before walking through the broken entrance hall. "The next time I see you three I'll be introducing you to my future wife."

All three of them giggled and waved him off before joining everyone else in the Great Hall.

Oliver made his way back to Hogsmeade and disapparated immediately. He went up to his apartment and showered quickly before packing a small traveling bag, and grabbing his passport, wand, and wallet. He locked his apartment door and ran down the stairs. The moment he exited the apartment building he apparated to the airport. Luckily there were still clerks working at the desks and he was able to pay for a flight to Chicago, Illinois, United States of America.

Once Oliver had made it threw security and got on the plane he finally relaxed. So much had happened in the past twenty-four hours. Voldemort was gone, the wizarding world was safe again, and he was on his way to reunite with the love of his life.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Oliver had been lucky to snag a flight. It was nearly three in the morning when he reached the airport. He sat quietly in his window seat anxious for the plane to start moving. He knew it would take a long time to get there, but it was safer than trying to apparate across an ocean and quicker than using his broom.

At three forty-five they were off. The captain came on over the intercom and explained that flying time was nine hours and twenty minutes. Oliver huffed when he heard that. He wished it would take shorter than that. Besides, he didn't even know where to start looking for Lacey. From what she had told him, Chicago was about the size of London, maybe bigger.

Oliver closed his eyes for a moment and before he knew it he had been swept away into dreamland.

He woke suddenly when he felt his body being shaken. His eyes snapped open and he realized it was the plane that was shaking. Oliver grabbed the arm rests feeling vulnerable. He would much rather be flying on his broomstick.

Oliver held on tightly and breathed tensely through his nose. He felt like such a wimp being afraid of flying in an airplane, but feeling perfectly comfortable on a broom. A flight attendant walked by.

"Sir, is everything all right?" She asked.

Oliver opened his eyes and looked at her. She was leaning toward him over the empty seat, her thick blonde hair falling over her shoulder.

"Yes, I'm fine," Oliver answered with a not so convincing smile.

"Is there anything I can get you?" She asked with a cheerful voice.

"No, really, I'm fine," Oliver said releasing the breath he was holding.

"You seem like you don't fly very often," she said sitting in the empty seat.

He rolled his eyes wishing that she would just leave him alone. He thought about how to answer her question and decided to not give anything away. "No, I don't."

"I thought so. You're very tense," She said with a coy smile.

The plane stopped shaking and Oliver's hands released the armrests. He took a steadying breath and tried to ignore the flight attendant sitting next to him.

"So, what's bringing you to Chicago?" She asked.

"A woman," Oliver answered.

The flight attendant's face fell slightly, but a second later the smile was back on—if he had blinked, Oliver would have missed the change.

"Really?" She said. "What's the relationship—sister, mother, mistress?" She let the last 's' escape her lips for a little longer than necessary.

"She's my girlfriend," Oliver said feeling very annoyed. "We haven't seen each other in a while and I promised to visit soon."

"It's been a while?" The woman asked. "I wouldn't get my hopes up if I were you. Women need constant reminders that their in a relationship to feel emotionally connected to a man."

Oliver's head snapped to her, "I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Oh, my name's Sandy." She said with a wink.

"Well, Sandy," Oliver purred with a voice soaked in honey as he leaned toward her. Sandy leaned closer, too, her lips being pulled slightly between her teeth. "I plan on marrying this woman and nothings going to stop me. Not you, and not another man."

Sandy snapped back, a grimace on her face. She huffed as she stood from the seat and continued to the back of the plane.

Oliver exhaled angrily and leaned his head against the seat. Finally, she was gone.

He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep again. There were still three hours until they landed in Chicago. Oliver thought he would go out of his mind. He tried to get settled in his seat again, but that's when he noticed a young woman a few rows up eyeing him.

Oliver rolled his eyes. _Here we go again_, he thought. He watched out of the corner of his eye as the woman walked toward him and take the empty seat. Oliver decided to just ignore her.

"I'm sorry," she said in a raspy voice that Oliver noticed was an American accent. "I don't mean to be a bother."

Oliver turned his head so he could look at her. Her short, dyed black hair hung in front of her face hiding her left eye. Her pale face was tinged with pink, but Oliver wasn't completely sure if it was from attraction or embarrassment.

"But I couldn't help over hearing that conversation you were having with that flight attendant," she finished.

"What about it?" Oliver asked moving his body so she had his full attention.

"Well, I thought it was very nice that you're committed to this woman you're going to see," She said in a quieter voice.

"Thank you," Oliver paused. "But I don't think that's what you came over here to tell me."

"No, it's not," she said shaking her head. She looked around the plane before speaking again, "You're a wizard, right?"

Oliver wasn't sure if he should answer, but the woman opened her sweater and showed him her wand. "Yes, I am."

She smiled lightly, "Do you play quidditch, by any chance?"

"I do," Oliver said. "I'm the keeper for Puddlemere United."

He saw the woman's smile turn into a grin. "And the girl you're looking for is from Chicago?"

"She is," Oliver said slowly.

The girl started bouncing in the seat, "Are you looking for Lacey Camlin?"

Oliver felt his brain stop working for a moment. His eyes widened and his mouth went slack as he tried to wrap his mind around what had just been said.

"You know her?" Oliver asked in a barely audible voice.

"You happen to be looking at her best friend," the woman said grinning.

"This is incredible," Oliver said running a hand through his hair. "I didn't even know where I should start."

"I can help you there. I'm Courtney, by the way," She said holding out her hand.

"Oliver," he shook her hand.

"She's told me a lot about you," Courtney said settling into the seat.

"Like what?" Oliver was curious.

Courtney laughed, "More like she never shuts up about you. Not to mention she's been really worried about you. She said she hadn't heard from you in a while."

"Things have been tense for a while. Not just in politics." Oliver said.

"I see," Courtney said leaving it at that. "So, I know she's living in the city again and she's playing quidditch for a local team. I would suggest that we start on the north side of Chicago. I know she would never go near the south side."

"Whatever you say," Oliver said shrugging.

"Actually, let me get you a map," She said rushing out of her seat to grab her bag. She hurried back and unfolded a crinkled and water-stained map in front of him.

For the next hour and a half, Courtney explained the layout of the city and where the quidditch field was that Lacey trained at. She circled the areas where she thought Lacey would be living in red pen.

Oliver listened very closely not wanting to miss anything. He couldn't wait until he could start looking for her. Now that he had Lacey's best friend with him, he was closer to finding her than before.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Oliver stuck by Courtney the rest of the trip while she filled him in on the area and what Lacey had been up to. When they exited the plane, he followed her to the baggage claim so she could grab her things. Luckily it didn't take long and they could get moving again.

"I've got a friend picking me up, I'm sure he wouldn't mind squeezing you in," Courtney told him.

"Okay, thanks," Oliver said.

They stepped out onto the sidewalk and Oliver was surprised to see so much traffic. Busses, taxis, limousines, and cars were whizzing past them in the lanes.

"We have to get to that middle sidewalk," Courtney told him pointing across the first set of lanes.

They waited for an opening and made their way across the road. Once they made it Courtney pulled out a small phone from her pocket and dialed a number.

"Hey, it's me," she said. "Yeah, I just got in. Listen, I've got someone else with me if you wouldn't mind giving him a ride, too." She paused listening. "No, it's important. Mmmhmm, yes it has to do with Lacey. Okay, okay, just get your ass moving. Thanks, see you soon."

She flipped the phone closed and put it back in her pocket. She turned to Oliver and smiled up at him.

"You're wondering why we're not apparating?" She commented. "It's because we can't in packed areas like this. The muggle and wizarding communities are much more integrated here, but we still have to be cautious."

"Lacey mentioned that when I first met her," Oliver said.

"She was so upset when she was sent back home," Courtney commented sadly. "She had to beg Cheque to let her back on the team."

"Cheque?" Oliver asked.

"Lacey's team captain. She went back to the minor league team when she came home because no one would let her try out. Every team had already done tryouts, so she went to Cheque. He would have gladly let her back on even if she hadn't begged." She chuckled.

"I see," Oliver said. He noticed that the sun was just coming up turning the sky a light blue. "What time is it?"

"Oh," Courtney flipped her wrist over and looked at her watch. "It's just about five thirty right now. We're six hours behind London here."

"Does Lacey have practice today?" Oliver asked Courtney.

"I'm not sure," Courtney answered. "Oh, there he is,"

Oliver followed her eye line and saw a small black car pull up to them. The man driving had messy blonde hair. Courtney threw her bag into the trunk and got into the car. Oliver followed suit and got into the back seat. The moment he was in the car they set off.

"So this is the guy, huh?" The man driving asked looking at him through the rearview mirror.

"Yes, this is Oliver," Courtney smiled to the man. "Do you know if Lacey has practice today?"

"Yeah, she does, but not until this afternoon," the man said.

"Oliver, this is Tom," Courtney introduced the men.

"Nice to meet you," Oliver said with a nod of his head.

"Ah, I can see why she fell for you," Tom chuckled. "She's got a thing for accents."

"Tom," Courtney complained and smacked his arm.

"What? It's true," Tom said shrugging.

"Stop it," Courtney said.

"Stop what? I'm not doing anything," Tom said laughing.

While Tom and Courtney bickered in the front of the car, Oliver stayed quiet and looked out the windows. He could see the skyline of Chicago getting bigger as they approached it. The only thing on his mind was Lacey. He just wanted to find her. He needed to see her.

It only took then twenty minutes to get into the city from the airport and Oliver was amazed by the tall buildings. The city commanded attention and he finally understood what Lacey had meant. The sun was shining over the city reflecting off the tall glass windows of the skyscrapers. People were bustling on the sidewalks on their way to work.

"Oliver," Courtney said turning around in her seat. "We'll be at Lacey's apartment in about ten minutes, but I don't know if she'll be there."

"Why wouldn't she be there?" Oliver wondered.

"I forgot she told me she was going to a party last night. One of our friends is getting married and they all went out last night. She may have spent the night somewhere else," Courtney said.

"Oh," was all Oliver said. He didn't know what else to say.

"You'll find her, don't worry," Courtney smiled.

"If she's not home, you can probably find her on the quidditch field later today when she goes to practice," Tom said.

"How far is the pitch from her apartment?" Oliver asked.

"About six blocks. It's not too far," Tom said. "I can bring you there later, if she's not home."

"All right, thanks," Oliver said and resumed looking out the window. After a few minutes, they finally reached Lacey's apartment. Oliver nearly tore his way out of the car, but he wouldn't know which apartment to go to once he was out. Tom and Courtney led the way to the third door. Oliver noticed that it was a two-story apartment.

"Lacey has two roommates," Courtney explained. She knocked on the door. There was no answer.

Oliver felt his heart drop. He was really hoping she'd be home. He desperately needed to see her. He didn't care if everyone told him she was doing well. He needed to see her with his own eyes, to make sure she really was doing well.

Courtney knocked again. This time there was a yell from inside the apartment. They couldn't make it out, but a few moments later the door opened. A girl with curly brown hair stood there in short shorts and a tank top. Her brow was furrowed and her lips were curled in a sneer.

"Good morning, Tina," Courtney said in a chipper voice.

"What's so good about it, bitch?" Tina answered her voice dripping with venom.

"I'm gone for months and this is my welcome?" Courtney said sarcastically.

"Hi," Tina said with a quick smile. A second later the smile was gone, "What do you want?"

"Is Lacey home?" Tom asked.

"No, why?" Tina asked looking at all of them confused.

"Oliver is here," Courtney answered.

Tina instantly brightened up, "Really?" She looked straight toward Oliver. "She went out last night. I think she said she was staying with Kelly overnight. She has quidditch practice at one this afternoon."

"Thanks," Courtney said. "Sorry we woke you."

"No, it's all right. I wasn't really sleeping too well anyway. You guys want to come in?" Tina said.

"Sure, thanks," Courtney said and stepped into the apartment. Tom and Oliver followed suit.

"So, you're Oliver." Tina said when he walked past her. "Lacey was right, you are cute."

Oliver felt his cheeks heat up. He hadn't realized Lacey talked about him so much.

"You look really tired," Tina commented seeing the purple circles under his eyes. "Do you want to lie down?"

"Yeah, I probably should get some sleep. I've been up for twenty-four hours," Oliver told her.

Tina's eyes widened slightly, but she kept her composure. "Lacey's room is the only one on the second floor. I know she wouldn't mind you using her bed."

"Thank you," Oliver said and made his way up the stairs. He saw the plain white door to the right of the stairs and opened it. Lacey's room was decorated even more than the room she had with Kaylee. The walls were a pale green and framed pictures covered the farthest wall. Some of them moved, some of them were still. Her bed sat against the farthest wall pointing toward the door. The puffy lavender comforter looked soft and inviting. Oliver slipped his shoes off and took off his jacket. He closed the door and collapsed face first onto the bed.

Oliver inhaled deeply. He could smell her on the sheets. He was so close to finding her, but she was still evading him everywhere he went. He couldn't wait until this afternoon when he saw her at quidditch practice. Oliver's eyes closed and his breathing evened out as he fell asleep.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Reunited At Last

Oliver slowly awoke on Lacey's bed. He looked toward the window and his heart skipped when he realized that the sun was going down. He had slept the entire day. He sat up quickly and was ready to run out of the room and down the stairs when he heard voices.

He recognized the voices, but one more than the other. Lacey was downstairs.

"What?" Lacey screamed.

"I told you he would come," the other girl said, Tina he thought.

"Why didn't you come get me or send an owl?" Lacey sounded angry and her voice had gone up an octave.

"I didn't think Cheque would have let you leave practice," Tina answered.

"It wouldn't have mattered. I would have left no matter what!" Lacey yelled. "Where is he?"

"He's in your room. He's been sleeping all day," Tina answered. "He said he was up for twenty-four hours. I think he may have fought in that battle that took place in the U.K."

Oliver didn't hear Lacey's answer. Instead he heard footsteps on the stairs. The next moment the bedroom door swung open and there she stood. Her cheeks were flushed a light pink and her eyes were wide. When she saw him her mouth went slack.

Oliver stood from the bed and walked toward her slowly. She was stunned, but she followed his every move.

"Lacey," Oliver said slowly. "I've missed you so much. I can't tell—"

Before he could finish Lacey pounced on him capturing his lips. Oliver barely had time to react before he fell back onto the bed, Lacey on top of him. She leaned back and he saw tears running down her cheeks.

"Why haven't you contacted me?" Lacey said in a hurt voice. "I haven't gotten a letter from you in weeks."

"I'm sorry," Oliver told her sincerely as he tried to sit up while holding her.

"I'm so happy to see you," she said before kissing him softly.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you again," Oliver told her between kisses. "You're a hard woman to find, Lacey Camlin."

"Well, I'm here now," she said leaning into him.

"You are," Oliver smiled. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Oliver," Lacey said grinning.

They didn't say anything to each other for a while, preferring to tell everything to each other through the meeting of their lips. They had both been worried about each other.

Oliver held her close to him on the bed. He felt her nuzzle into his chest as he buried his face in her hair.

"How long are you here for?" he heard her muffled voice.

"For however long you want me to be," Oliver answered.

"I like that answer," she giggled. "I know you've met my friends. What do you think of them?"

"Well," Oliver started. "I actually met Courtney on the plane. She's the one who brought me here. And Tom picked us up from the airport. And you live with Tina. Tina reminds me a lot of Kaylee."

Lacey laughed, "They are very similar. Courtney told me she met you on the plane."

"Who else lives here?" Oliver asked. "Courtney said you have two roommates."

Lacey pulled back and rolled her eyes, "Courtney is my other roommate."

"Oh, she didn't say anything," Oliver said.

"She wouldn't. She's been away for a few months and now she thinks we won't let her move back in. I don't know where she got that idea from," Lacey sighed.

"Hey Lacey!" Tina called up the stairs.

Lacey groaned, "What, Tina?"

"You need to eat and I'm sure Hot Stuff needs to eat, too," she paused. "Do you want me to make something or are you going out."

Lacey looked at Oliver. He tried to convey how much he wanted to be with her tonight and only her.

"We're going out," Lacey called back.

Oliver smiled, "Are you hungry?"

"I am," Lacey said quietly. "Quidditch practice went a little longer today. But I need to take a shower first."

"Okay," Oliver said. Then he remembered something, "Hot Stuff?"

Lacey flushed red, "It's a name Tina came up with for you. They know everything."

"They being who?" Oliver asked a little nervous.

"Tina, Courtney, and my cousin, Grace," Lacey answered.

"Oh," was all he could think of to say.

Lacey pulled away from him and sat up on the bed. She took her practice robes off to reveal short gray shorts and a pink tank top. She pulled her dark hair out of the pony tail and shook it out with her hand.

"Just give me half an hour and we can go," Lacey said.

"Take however long you need," Oliver said. Lacey leaned down and kissed him before she left the room.

Now he was alone again and he didn't know what to do. He had finally found Lacey. Then he remembered he only had a small bag with him with only a few days worth of clothes.

"This could be problematic," he said to himself. He looked around and saw his bag sitting at the foot of the bed. He opened it and looked through the things he had grabbed—three days worth of clothes, enough money to last him about two weeks, his wand, and his passport.

He sat back on the bed and sighed. He wasn't sure what to do. He wouldn't be able to stay as long as Lacey wanted him to, not to mention he had to buy a ticket back to London.

After waiting quietly for twenty minutes, Lacey came back into the room wearing nothing but a fluffy yellow towel. His eyes followed her long creamy legs as she walked to her dresser and began pulling out clothing. Without removing her towel she slipped on a pair of silky blue panties. Oliver swallowed hard thinking about what she was hiding under the towel.

Lacey kept her back to him while she clasped on a matching blue bra. She dropped the towel and Oliver was left staring at her toned curvy body. He wanted to say something, but he felt that if he said anything it would ruin the moment. Instead, he stood from the bed and approached her from behind. He wrapped his arms around her silky white torso and kissed her neck softly.

"It's been a while," she said in barely a whisper. She pulled away sharply when she realized what she had said.

"There's no need to be embarrassed," Oliver said not letting her get away from him. "It's true. It has been a while."

She nodded and relaxed against his strong frame. Oliver continued to kiss her neck and captured her lips when she turned her head.

"I need to finish getting dressed," Lacey said softly pulling away from him.

Oliver let go of her reluctantly. He watched Lacey finish getting dressed. She ran a brush through her hair quickly and then grabbed his hand. He looked up at her and smiled just before she pulled him out of the room and down the stairs.

"Bye, see you later," Lacey yelled as they passed her roommates on their way out.

"Are we going somewhere in particular?" Oliver asked once they were out of the apartment.

"I really don't know," Lacey sighed. "I just wanted to be alone with you. We need to catch up, a lot."

"I can't even think straight anymore," Oliver started. "So much has happened in the past 24 hours."

Lacey stopped walking and turned around to look at him. Her brow furrowed as she looked at his face. Oliver could see many questions forming in her eyes.

"Does, does that mean you fought? There was a battle?" She finally asked.

All the memories and feelings came rushing back to Oliver's mind. A shiver ran down his spine and his shoulders felt heavy. The world was safe again, but at what price? So many had died and so many had sacrificed their lives in the build up to the final battle.

Oliver's throat had become tight and his mind was racing. He couldn't speak, so he nodded. Lacey was slow in her actions as she leaned in and wrapped her arms around him.

"We don't need to talk about it," She said softly. "Not now."

Oliver nodded and tried to steady his breathing. Once his emotions were back under control he pulled away from her and took her hand.

"Come on," he said. "We need to get something to eat. We'll talk over dinner."

Lacey smiled and nodded and they set off down the street in search of a restaurant where they could spend a few hours talking.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Oliver had been staying with Lacey in her apartment for about a week now. He had gotten to know her two roommates, Courtney and Tina, better. Courtney was very down to earth, just like Lacey. She read a lot of books in her spare time and she got into a lot of arguments with Tina. Tina was very loud and said anything that was on her mind. That was usually the reason Courtney and Tina fought so much. He learned a lot more about Lacey, too. Courtney told him stories about when they were in school. He told her about what an overachiever she was and how she spent all of her spare time in the various clubs at school.

This morning Lacey was at quidditch practice. She had left around eight in the morning and said she wasn't sure what time she's be back. When she was gone he usually would sit with Courtney and talk to her. He wanted to learn about what she was like before he met her. He knew she had been on the quidditch team, but he never knew she only played her last two years at school.

"We all tried to get her to try out sooner, but she wouldn't have it," Courtney said shrugging. "She always doubted herself. We could all see she had a natural talent for the sport, but she always compared herself to everyone else."

"She always seemed so confident to me," Oliver commented.

"Oh, well she is now," Courtney smiled. "Very opinionated."

"What about her family?" Oliver asked changing the subject. "She talks about them a lot, but in a general sense."

"Oh, her family is very welcoming," Courtney said grinning. "It's a riot when they're all together. It gets pretty loud and there's a lot of laughing. She's very close with her cousins. They're all very close. Let's see, you've already met, Tom."

"Wait, Tom is a family member?" Oliver asked.

"Yeah, a cousin. Lacey and Tom are very close," Courtney paused to think. "Then there's Grace, Lizzie, Jewel, Connor, Pat, and Amanda."

"That's a lot of names," Oliver said trying to remember them. "I know Lacey has mentioned Grace before."

"They could be twins," Courtney laughed. "Different parents, but man do they look like sisters. They finish each other's sentences a lot."

"And her mother and father?" Oliver asked.

"Divorced since she was ten," Courtney said. "She was really affected by it. Her first year at school was really bad; she almost didn't pass end of year exams."

"What are her parents like?" Oliver asked.

"Her mom is a witch," she said. "She's so nice and Lacey looks like a carbon copy of her mother, just different color eyes. They have really similar personalities as well. Her dad is really nice, too. He's a muggle, but very accepting of the wizarding community. Lacey misses him a lot. They don't get to see each other too often."

"I see," Oliver said thinking about all this new information. "Do you think you could bring me to the pitch where she has quidditch practice?"

"Yeah, not a problem," Courtney smiled. "I just gotta grab my bag."

They left the apartment and headed left down the street. It was a beautiful day out. The cool spring air was warmed by the bright sun. So many people were bustling on the sidewalks going to various destinations. Taxi cabs honked at the intersections, teenagers were having loud conversations as they passed; it was so lively! They reached the pitch in a ten minute walk. He could hear a male voice yelling about drills and good form. Oliver and Courtney walked up into the bleachers and took a seat close to the top so Oliver could get a good view of Lacey while she practiced. They watched as Lacey and the two other chasers, both male, did passing drills up and down the field. The beaters were training off to the side hitting one bludger back and forth to work on their aim. The seeker was flying around the pitch following the golden snitch and catching it every so often then releasing it. The keeper was on the ground yelling instructions to each group. Oliver assumed he was the team captain, Cheque, Courtney has said his name was.

"Lacey, get a better grip on the quaffle," Cheque called. "Doug and Jake aren't going to pass to you if you keep letting it slip."

"Sorry," Lacey called.

"Don't apologize, just work on it!" Cheque yelled.

Oliver wasn't sure if he liked this guy. He had seen Lacey play close up and she was one of the most amazing chasers he'd ever played against. He didn't like Cheque yelling at her like she didn't know how to play.

"Jose," Cheque called to one of the beaters. "Hit with the middle of the bat. You'll get a straighter hit."

"Yes, Sir," Jose called down to the captain.

After another ten minutes the team came down to the ground to meet with the captain. Lacey noticed Oliver in the stands as she came down. She smiled at him before joining the team. They huddled and talked for a couple of minutes before they all dispersed.

"Lacey, come here a minute," Cheque said. Lacey came back and the two had a hushed conversation in which Lacey nodded most of the time. They laughed loudly just before Cheque patted her on the shoulder and sent her to the locker rooms with the rest of the team to change.

Courtney stood and stretched before walking down the bleachers. Oliver followed her and waited for Lacey at the bottom of the stands. She came bounding over to them a few minutes later and gave Oliver a big hug.

"Hey, I didn't know you guys were gonna come watch," Lacey grinned.

"Oliver asked about an hour ago, so we came over to watch," Courtney said. "Cheque's become a really great captain."

Oliver wanted to say something about the way he talked to her during practice, but didn't get the chance when Lacey responded to Courtney.

"I know," she smiled. "I think he's doing a great job."

Oliver definitely wasn't going to say anything now. If she liked the way he coached, then he wasn't going to interfere.

"You guys want to head back to the apartment?" Lacey asked.

"Sure," Oliver smiled. He wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked back.

When they entered the apartment the smell of delicious food wafted out the door.

"Tina, what are you making?" Lacey asked. "It smells awesome!"

"Chicken rice casserole," Tina said from the kitchen doorway. "I learned it in my cooking class a couple weekends ago."

"Is it almost ready? I'm starving," Lacey asked.

"About five more minutes," Tina smiled and returned to the kitchen.

"I'm going to take a shower," Lacey said to Oliver.

"Okay, I'll be around," Oliver smiled at her.

He sat in the living room watching the television with Courtney for about ten minutes before he excused himself and went to Lacey's bedroom. He sat on the bed and listened to the water running in the shower. A few minutes later the water was turned off and he heard Lacey step out of the shower. She came out of the bathroom wrapped in the towel.

"Hey," she smiled. "Get bored?"

"A little," Oliver chuckled. "Tina says dinner is ready whenever you want to help yourself."

"She was saying that to you," Lacey giggled. "She's never that considerate for the rest of us. You didn't have to wait for me."

"I wanted to wait," Oliver said to her as she got dressed.

"That's so sweet," She said as she pulled a gray t-shirt over her head. "Let's go eat. I'm so hungry."

They made their way downstairs and went to the kitchen to grab a plate of food. The chicken casserole was delicious and so were the flaky biscuits. They ate at the small table in the back corner of the kitchen. Courtney and Tina preferred to eat in their bedrooms or in the living room.

"So, I wanted to ask you something," Lacey said.

"What's that?" Oliver asked taking another bite of food.

"I talked to my mom during my break from practice," Lacey started. "She's having a birthday party for me this weekend and she invited my entire family. I was wondering if you'd be fine coming with me."

"Of course I would," Oliver smiled. "I'd love to meet your family."

"Great!" Lacey grinned. "I'm really excited you get to meet them."

They finished their dinner chatting about various things. Oliver helped her clean up when they were done. When everything was put away and clean, they went into the living room to spend some time with her roommates. Oliver was surprised by how comfortable he had become here.

**Author's Note:** Hey guys! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long. I've been incredibly busy and had a hard time figuring out how I was going to progress the story. I am going to start updating this more frequently.

Yuushi-chan


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